BENGALURU: Interventional Pulmonology is a new field of pulmonary medicine that uses modern technology in the application of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic techniques across a wide range of pulmonary diseases. Interventional Pulmonology can be used to treat benign airway disorders, pleural diseases, interstitial lung disease, and lung cancer.
These are complex procedures with a special focus on early diagnosis. The diagnostic and therapeutic interventions are at the cutting edge of both diagnostic and therapeutic Bronchoscopy and Thoracoscopy.
Bronchoscopy is a procedure in which a hollow, flexible tube (bronchoscope) is inserted into the airways through the nose or mouth to provide a view of the tracheobronchial tree. It can also be used to collect bronchial and/or lung secretions and to perform tissue biopsy. Thoracoscopy is a medical procedure involving internal examination, biopsy, and/or resection of disease or masses within the pleural cavity and thoracic cavity. Thoracoscopy may be performed either under general anaesthesia or under sedation with local anaesthetic.
The most useful aspect of Interventional Pulmonology is its use in diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer as well as in palliative care in lung cancer. Lung cancer is one of the commonest cancers and cause of cancer related deaths all over the world. It accounts for 13 per cent of all new cancer cases and 19 per cent of cancer related deaths worldwide.
In India, lung cancer constitutes 6.9 per cent of all new cancer cases and 9.3 per cent of all cancer related deaths in both sexes. Lung cancer has been showing a significant rise in urban areas in India especially in Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru.
The management of lung cancer is complex and requires a multi-disciplinary approach to provide comprehensive care. Interventional Pulmonology helps in this through utilization of minimally invasive modalities for the initial diagnosis and staging of suspected lung cancers.
Interventional Pulmonology is also a boon for the prognosis and treatment of early and late stage cancers. Using interventional Pulmonology, ultrasound guided sampling of lymph nodes allows staging and detection lung cancer and consequently, the prognosis and treatment of early and later stage lung cancers. Furthermore, Interventional Pulmonology can also offer palliation for inoperable cancers and those with late stage diseases to improve quality of life.
Aster CMI Hospital has a specialized center for Interventional Pulmonology, and is among the few institutions in the country that offers comprehensive services in Interventional Pulmonology. These include:
■ Transbronchial needle aspiration and biopsy,
■ Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) guided transbronchial needle aspiration and biopsy,
■ Transbronchial biopsy for diagnosis of diseases such as TB, sarcoidosis, and lung cancer.
MBBS, MD, DM (Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine) Consultant - Interventional Pulmonologist