Late-stage emphysema: When medical therapy fails

ABSTRACT

Although most patients with emphysema are managed medically, a small subset of severely disabled patients may become candidates for surgery. This paper discusses for the internist who works with emphysema patients the risks, benefits, patient selection criteria, and outcome data for three procedures in current use: bullectomy, lung transplantation, and a new procedure which provides an alternative to transplantation—lung volume reduction.