CRC INTRVNT PULM MED PDF

Preface

We are very pleased to organize the second edition of Interventional Pulmonary Medicine. Interventional pulmonology continues to grow as a specialty within the broader field of pulmonary/critical care medicine. IP, as it is often referred to, has become the mainstream, and an increasing number of pulmonary groups, both academic and private practice, are employing dedicated interventional pulmonologists. The demand for expertise in interventional pulmonary procedures continues to increase. The web site of the American Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology now lists 12 North American fellowships in interventional pulmonology. There are multiple courses dedicated to various interventional pulmonary procedures in the United States and Canada and throughout the world, including France, China and Lebanon, Spain, India, Germany, and Singapore among others.

The initial development of interventional pulmonology was spurred on by the epidemic of lung cancer, which resulted in many patients presenting with severe central airway obstruction, requiring endobronchial therapy such as laser and stenting. Interventional pulmonology has now branched out into other areas including advanced diagnostic procedures such as endobronchial ultrasound, navigational bronchoscopy, and autoflorescence bronchial imaging. There is an increasing interest in the use of newer interventional pulmonology procedures to treat nonmalignant pulmonary diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The purpose of this volume is to update recent advances in several of the classic interventional pulmonology procedures such as endobronchial therapy and medical thoracoscopy. More importantly, this volume addresses in detail some of the advanced diagnostic procedures that have recently been validated or are currently being studied. These include navigational bronchoscopy for the diagnosis of peripheral lesions and use of endobronchial ultrasound for staging of lung cancer. Newer therapeutic procedures such as the use of tunnel pleural catheters for the management of pleural effusion, endobronchial treatment for asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchoscopic therapy for peripheral lesions will be addressed.

As in the first edition, the last chapter is dedicated to training in interventional pulmonology. This area continues to be problematic in the United States. Although up to 12 interventional pulmonology fellows will now be graduated each year, this number is insufficient to meet the current demands, especially if high-quality interventional pulmonologists are to be provided to outside of known centers of excellence.

We have dedicated this book to interventional pulmonologists throughout the world. As the three of us have traveled internationally for various meetings and courses, we have found that pulmonologists in every country face similar clinical problems whether related to thoracic malignancy or benign conditions such as tracheal stenosis and foreign body aspiration. We hope that this book will serve as a summary of recent advances in interventional pulmonology and that it will improve the competence and performance of interventional pulmonologists and contribute to improved outcomes for their patients.

As in the past, we wish to acknowledge and thank the many experts who contributed to this endeavor. All are busy practicing physicians who are committed to sharing their expertise with others. We particularly thank Sandra Beberman and her team at Informa Healthcare for encouraging us to take on this project and for her gentle prodding of us and the contributors to bring it to fruition. We also thank our families and local colleagues for their love and support to our many projects.