Endoscopic Options for Moderate COPD, Chronic Bronchitis, and Uncontrolled Asthma

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Interventional Pulmonology
• Respiratory Diseases

Background:

• Interventional therapies for obstructive lung diseases were previously limited to end-stage treatments like lung volume reduction.
• Indications for these therapies are broadening to include earlier disease stages.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe asthma patients now have access to a wider range of innovative treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an overview of emerging interventional techniques for COPD and severe asthma.
• To review the current literature on these novel therapeutic approaches.
• To discuss the potential application of these techniques across different disease phenotypes and stages.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on interventional pulmonology techniques.
• Description of procedures including lung denervation, endoscopic goblet cell ablation, rheoplasty, metered spray cryo technique, Karakoca resector balloon, and thermoplasty.
• Discussion of ongoing pivotal trials evaluating these interventions.

Main Results:

• Lung denervation is indicated for moderate COPD.
• Endoscopic goblet cell ablation is being evaluated for chronic bronchitis.
• New techniques like targeted lung denervation are under investigation for severe asthma, alongside established methods like thermoplasty.

Conclusions:

• A growing number of interventional techniques are becoming available for various stages of obstructive lung diseases.
• Ongoing clinical trials are crucial for determining the optimal use of each technique in specific patient phenotypes.
• The presented review provides insights into the evolving landscape of interventional pulmonology for COPD and asthma management.