Mission:
Interventional Pulmonology: Advanced Diagnostics and Multimodality Therapy
Interventional Pulmonology represents the forefront of respiratory medicine, utilizing minimally invasive and advanced technologies to safely diagnose and treat diseases of the lungs and airways. Interventional pulmonologists specialize in complicated airway problems and pulmonary diseases, both cancerous and benign (non-cancerous).
Patients dealing with lung cancer, airway cancer, pulmonary nodules, complex airway disease, complicated asthma, and other respiratory conditions benefit from a full scope of advanced services. From the initial evaluation of a complicated problem to the treatment of early endobronchial disease and multimodality therapy for complex conditions, this specialty blends sophisticated technology with clinical research to provide personalized treatment plans for every individual.
Comprehensive, Personalized Care
Receiving a diagnosis of a lung or airway disease can be an overwhelming experience for patients and their families. The physical sensation of shortness of breath, a feeling of suffocation, or the anxiety surrounding a potential or confirmed cancer diagnosis is not only uncomfortable but genuinely frightening.
Interventional Pulmonology teams provide comprehensive, empathetic care to guide patients through the entire process of diagnosis and treatment. By combining rigorous safety and quality standards with the most advanced medical technologies, the ultimate goal is to offer the best possible treatment plan to support recovery and preserve quality of life.
What is Interventional Pulmonology?
Interventional Pulmonology is a specialized medical field offering a full spectrum of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services. This ranges from initial diagnostic evaluations and endobronchial treatments of early-stage disease to the palliative management of complicated, advanced airway conditions. The discipline is constantly evolving, regularly incorporating new techniques and technologies to ensure patients have access to the most effective, minimally invasive treatment options available.
A Brief History of the Field
The foundation of Interventional Pulmonology was laid over a century ago and has evolved through rapid technological innovation:
1897: Gustav Killian, a laryngologist at Freiburg University in Germany, removed a foreign body from an airway using the original rigid bronchoscope, demonstrating that it was possible to work safely within the flexible trachea.
1898: Bronchoscopy was introduced to the United States from Europe by A. Coolidge at Massachusetts General Hospital.
1907: Chevalier Jackson in Philadelphia improved early bronchoscopy and esophagoscopy instruments, earning him recognition as the “father of American bronchoesophagology.”
1968: Shigeto Ikeda introduced the flexible bronchofiberscope, based on earlier prototypes he developed with endoscope manufacturers in Japan, revolutionizing how physicians view the airways.
1980s: Dr. Jean F. Dumon introduced Nd:YAG laser photoresection for airway tumors, followed closely by laser resection for airway stenosis and photodynamic therapy.
1990: Dr. Dumon introduced the first dedicated silicone stent for the trachea and bronchi, adapting the concept of cardiovascular stenting to keep airways open.
2000s to Present: The field saw an explosion of advanced diagnostic and treatment modalities, including endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), electrocautery, cryotherapy, medical thoracoscopy, electromagnetic navigation, and robotic bronchoscopy.
Advanced Diagnostic Techniques
Because every patient is unique, making an accurate diagnosis often requires a combination of sophisticated approaches. Advanced diagnostic offerings generally include:
Autofluorescence Bronchoscopy
Endobronchial Ultrasound Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (EBUS-TBNA)
Endobronchial Ultrasound for Peripheral Lesions
Endobronchial Ultrasound to assess Central Airways
Electromagnetic Guidance Techniques
Transbronchial Needle Aspiration Biopsy
Rigid and Flexible Biopsy Techniques
Robotic Bronchoscopy
CT-Guided Bronchoscopic Procedures
CryoBiopsies for Parenchymal Lung Disease or Molecular Analysis of Tumors
Multimodality Therapy for Complex Airway Diseases
Because respiratory conditions are highly complex, effectively managing them requires access to every available diagnostic and therapeutic modality. Interventional Pulmonology evaluates and treats both malignant and non-malignant pulmonary diseases.
Aggressive management strategies are used for endobronchial tumor growth (tumors growing inside the airway) as well as extrinsic airway compression (tumors or structures squeezing the airways from the outside). By intervening to open compromised airways before a patient begins therapies like radiation or chemotherapy, pulmonologists can improve a patient’s breathing capacity, dramatically improving their ability to tolerate further treatments.
Comprehensive treatment programs also manage tracheal stenosis, tracheobronchomalacia, tracheoesophageal fistulas, airway papillomas, post-surgical bronchopleural fistulas, and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.