Lung volume reduction surgery improves lung function and quality of life in the long term for those with emphysema.
Till recently, the only effective treatment for emphysema was lung transplantation. Emphysema is a chronic, progressive disease where damaged lung tissue and overinflation of the lungs severely impair function. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in the US have developed a new operation called lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) to help patients with emphysema.

In LVRS, some of the diseased tissue is cut away, allowing more room within the chest cavity for the lungs to expand. The researchers now report on the outcome for the first 250 patients to receive LVRS. They were followed up for about five years.

More than 60 per cent had survived five years - impressive, given that more than half of this group would have been expected to die within three years. Their lung function was also improved, as measured by the amount of air they could blow out in one second. Around 80 per cent reported better quality of life after the surgery, compared to before surgery. LVRS is not a cure for emphysema, for the disease continues to progress, but it can certainly improve the outlook for the patient.