Procedures
Airway Stent
Stents are small, cylindrical tubes that can be placed in narrowed or obstructed airways to help open airways. Metallic, hybrid, and silicone stents can be placed via flexible or rigid bronchoscopy.
Argon Plasma Coagulation
Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC) is a method of noncontact electrocoagulation by applying an electric current through a jet of argon gas. APC therapy allows for treatment of bleeding lesions, respiratory papillomatosis or other tumors within the airways.
Balloon Bronchoplasty (or Balloon Dilation therapy)
This involves the opening of an airway using a balloon. This is particularly useful when the airway is too narrow, as a result of scarring after a tracheotomy or endotracheal tube placement. Depending on the location of the airway narrowing, dilation can be performed using a flexible or rigid bronchoscope.
Brachytherapy
Endobronchial brachytherapy is the application of precise localized radiation therapy through the inside of airways to treat lung tumors.
Using ultrasound guidance, we can place guided tubes to drain the pleural space and potentially deliver medications into the pleural space to treat infections or drain excess fluid.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy involves the destruction of airway tumors by freezing tissue. Cryotherapy can be performed with rigid or flexible bronchoscopy. The tumor or tissue undergoes repeated application of a probe that has been super-cooled; the probe is applied over the entire surface of the tumor.
Electrocautery is the use of an electric energy to apply thermal energy to debulk and remove tumors within the airway. Electrocautery is a contact form of therapy using needle, knife, snares, probes, and forceps.
Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS)
EBUS is a technique wherein the pulmonologist uses a special bronchoscope with an ultrasound attachment at the tip of the scope to perform biopsies in multiple areas. This technique minimizes the risk of puncturing a blood vessel and allows for better accuracy, because the interventional pulmonologist can see the needle as it is placed inside the abnormality.
Endoscopic Lung Volume Reduction
The devise has also receive Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to control prolonged air leaks of the lung or significant air leaks that are likely to become prolonged, following lobectomy, segmentectomy, or lung volume, reduction surgery. This HDE approval is the first for a bronchial valve procedure. The effectiveness of this device for this use has not yet been confirmed.
Fiducial Marker Placement for Stereotactic Radiosurgery
This is a minimally invasive way of placing makers used to locate tumors for precise delivery of radiation for patients who plan to undergo sterotactic radiosurgery (Novalis Tx™, CyberKnife, Trilogy™, and others) to treat tumors that cannot be accessed with traditional forms of surgery.
Medical Thoracoscopy
Medical Thoracoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure used to evaluate the lung pleura. The pleura is a large sheet of tissue that lines your lung and the inside of your chest wall. Thoracoscopy is useful to diagnose the cause of the pleural fluid accumulation or thickening. In some cases, we can also apply medication to prevent further fluid from returning.
The peripheral probe is a small probe with a rotating ultrasound tip that allows visualization of peripheral lung nodules. The peripheral probe EBUS can be passed through a bronchoscope and visual peripheral lung lesions alone or in conjunction with GPS navigational bronchoscopy and fluoroscopy (real time x-ray guidance).
PleurX
PleurX is a form of indwelling pleural catheter that is tunneled through the skin and used to treat and drain fluid collecting in the pleural space.