EMPHYSEMA TREATMENT
What is emphysema and how does it occur?
- It is a chronic airway disease characterized by abnormal and persistent enlargement of lung tissue and advanced airways.
- Smoking is the most common cause.
- Other causes include exposure to polluted air and genetic diseases.
What are the Treatment Methods?
- Emphysema is a disease treated with medication.
In advanced cases, additional mechanical support may be necessary to maintain breathing. - Emphysema is treated by pulmonologists.
- However, in some advanced cases of emphysema, your doctor may tell you that surgery may be necessary. In this case, a thoracic surgeon will be consulted and surgery may be performed after the necessary evaluations and additional tests are performed.
Why Do I Need Surgery?
Very few patients with emphysema will benefit from surgery. In rare cases where medication is not sufficient and the disease progresses, surgical intervention is necessary to prolong the patient’s life. In this way, the non-functioning air spaces in the cavities of the lungs are removed and breathing can be made more comfortable with the remaining healthy lung.
What Do International Sources Suggest?
It has been proven that patients with certain criteria live longer with surgical treatment. Which patients can be treated with surgery can only be determined by a joint decision between pulmonologists and thoracic surgeons.
The graph below shows that patients who undergo emphysema surgery (LVRS) have lower mortality rates than those who receive drug therapy.
- Emphysema Surgery (LVRS)
Emphysema is a disease that is treated with medicines. However, in some advanced cases of emphysema, your doctor may tell you that surgery can be performed.
What are the Surgery Methods?
It is possible to operate on a single lung or 2 lungs separately at different times using open surgery or endoscopic surgery (videothoracoscopy – VATS).
With these methods, the air-filled non-functioning areas on the outside of the lungs are removed and the patient’s breathing is facilitated by developing healthy lungs.
It is also possible to intervene in both lungs in a single session through an incision under both breasts or by opening the breastbone. This choice should be made according to the patient and the condition of emphysema.
What are the Risks of Surgery?
- Air leaks from the lungs,
- The need for prolonged intensive care treatment,
- Bleeding
- Re-operation
- Infection may occur.In order to reduce these risks, necessary precautions should be taken before surgery and risks should be minimized.The computed tomography of the lung below shows areas of air-filled emphysema that need to be surgically removed.
How many days should I stay in the hospital for surgery?
After each of the procedures, which will be performed in two separate sessions for the right and left lungs, you should stay in the hospital for 7-10 days.
In some cases, a unilateral operation may be sufficient. In this case, the operation for the second side can be performed within a few months to a few years after the patient’s symptoms appear.
How is the surgery performed?
Air-filled dead space areas around the lungs are removed. Special measures are taken to prevent air leaks from these areas. At the end of the operation, a drain is placed in the chest cavity and a special (epidural) catheter is used to prevent pain. After the operation, the patient is followed up in intensive care for 1 or 2 days.