Neumorreducción bilateral por videotoracoscopia en un paciente con enfisema pulmonar no bulloso y neoplasia laríngea

Abstract

Lung reduction has been show to be a promising treatment for the final phases of non-bullous pulmonary emphysema. The role of video-assisted thoracoscopy (VAT) in this disease has not yet been established. We report a case of bilateral non-bullous pulmonary emphysema in which transplantation was ruled out because of laryngeal neoplasm treated three months earlier. Using VAT, we performed bilateral lung reduction in the apical zones with good therapeutic results. We find that in patients reduction by VAT, although not a curative treatment, leads to immediate postoperative improvement in lung function and dyspnea, and does not exclude the possibility of later performing lung transplantation.