[Imaging before and after endoscopic lung volume reduction]

The treatment of symptomatic lung emphysema by lung volume reduction has become established over the last 15 years. While surgical partial lung resection has profited from improved and less invasive surgical techniques, various endoscopic interventional procedures have been developed and are now available for use. All treatment approaches are dependent on individual anatomical variants and a regional distribution of the lung emphysema, which is why no procedure can be designated as the gold standard for all patients. High-resolution computed tomography can be qualitatively evaluated and provides decisive information for treatment, which is why radiologists play a particularly important role in treatment planning and aftercare of an intervention for reduction of the lung volume. This article presents the various endoscopic techniques, names the demands of the treating physician on the advising radiologist and finally describes how a treatment decision is derived from the results obtained.