"It is exciting to lead a project such as this,
which began with a radical idea, and as a result of
careful preparatory research, grew to become the
topic of a major international research effort,"
said Dr. Cox.
One-Way Valves for Bronchoscopic Lung Volume
Reduction
Bronchoscopic alternatives to lung volume reduction
surgery (LVRS) have been recently proposed; the
airway bypass [1-3] and bronchoscopic lung volume
reduction (BLVR) are certainly one step beyond
current LVRS practice. In particular, BLVR with
one–way valves has been attempted in the
experimental laboratory [4] and in selected clinical
settings [5-8]. The one–way valve allows air to be
vented from the isolated lung segment during normal
expiration and prevents air from refilling the lung
during expiration. It has been postulated that the
placement of these valves in the segmental bronchi
could functionally isolate the airway that supplies
the most hyperinflated parts of the emphysematous
lungs, favoring deflation and even atelectasis, and
thus mimicking LVRS in its contribution to alleviate
symptoms.
