Respiratory Functions in the Indication Criteria for Lung Volume Reduction Surgery

Respiratory functions are important components in patient selection criteria for the lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS), which is becoming a new option of surgical therapy for patients with severe emphysema. We have performed thoracoscopic LVRS since 1993. According to the results of respiratory functions and exercise testings before and after LVRS, the relief of dyspnea following LVRS depended on the reduction in lung volume. The improvement in the dyspnea scales showed a close significant correlation with the lung volumes which was estimated prior to the therapy, and suggested that the measurement of lung volume might possibly enable us to predict the surgical effects from the pre-operative functional assessments. We concluded that the estimation of the lung hyperinflation could be a basic factor of the criterias for the patient selection for LVRS.