Interventional pulmonology

If you’re having trouble breathing due to lung cancer or another condition affecting your airways, our interventional pulmonologists are here to help. We offer minimally invasive treatments to help you breath easier.

What is interventional pulmonology?

Interventional pulmonology is an area of medicine that focuses on diagnosing and treating cancers and other conditions of your airway, including your lungs, thoracic system and trachea.

Interventional pulmonology can provide immediate relief if you have cancer of the trachea or windpipes (right or left bronchus). This means there may be no need to wait for chemotherapy or radiation before your airway can be opened.

Our team of cardiology specialists at Advocate Heart Institute use the latest diagnostics, tools and techniques in interventional pulmonology including:

• Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), which makes critical biopsy procedures easier and more accurate. We use radial EBUS for diagnosing small peripheral nodules and linear EBUS for diagnosing and staging lung cancer.
• Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy that uses a GPS-like system to “drive” to the precise location of otherwise inaccessible small lung lesions for diagnosis. We use this in combination with radial EBUS for confirmation.
• Flexible bronchoscopy, which helps us see individual lobes or segment bronchi. We use a variety of bronchoscopes, including ultrathin ones for viewing the outer edges.
• Autofluorescence bronchoscopy that uses autofluorescent light to detect premalignant lesions not usually seen with white light bronchoscopy. We may combine this test with a CT scan to detect precancerous lesions or early-stage lung cancer if you’re at high risk for lung cancer.
• Pleuroscopy, where we insert an endoscope into your chest cavity for diagnosis and management of pleural disease.

Interventional pulmonology treatments

To help reduce your shortness of breath, coughing and chest pain, our experts are here to perform outpatient, non-surgical lung cancer treatments. We also maximize your lung capacity, so you can receive the most aggressive lung cancer treatment available.

Using minimally invasive techniques, we can precisely visualize, biopsy and stage lung and thoracic tumors. By doing this, we can minimize the risk of more invasive treatments. Critical biopsy procedures using interventional techniques are easier and more accurate and can treat areas in the lungs that would otherwise be inaccessible without surgery.

Some of the interventional treatment techniques we offer include:

• Bronchoscopy, a test that lets your doctor see inside your lungs and airways
• Airway ablation with rigid bronchoscopy, which helps your doctor treat airway disease
• Balloon bronchoscopy, a minimally invasive procedure using balloons for symptomatic airway stenosis
• Airway stent placement, a tube-shaped device to help treat large airway diseases
• Endobronchial valve placement, a procedure that helps control the flow of air in your lungs using a small, one-way valve
• Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy, a minimally invasive procedure placing a tracheostomy tube in the trachea
• Indwelling pleural catheterization, soft silicone tubes to help you breathe easier
• Pleurodesis, a procedure that removes a space between your lung and chest wall
• Photodynamic therapy, a procedure using light and medication to destroy abnormal cells

Why choose Advocate Heart Institute for interventional pulmonology?

At Advocate Heart Institute, you can feel confident with our expert cardiology care. Together, our large, multidisciplinary team of specialists offer unmatched:

• Experience: We have one of the top cardiac programs in the U.S. Performing more than 20,000 procedures every year, our cardiology teams have experience with all types of procedures and all types of conditions.
• Quality: Our safety-first culture permeates everything we do. We participate in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry that benchmarks our outcomes against other programs. Our high ratings mean fewer complications and better results.
• Teamwork: Working closely together, our cardiologists, surgeons, electrophysiologists and other specialists develop a customized treatment plan that’s just right for you.
• Technology: We offer the latest programs and treatments that you may not find elsewhere in the area. Cardiology technology changes rapidly, and we continuously upgrade our equipment and learn the latest, most advanced techniques. And we participate in cutting-edge research and clinical trials to ensure access to the newest innovations.