In a minimally invasive lung procedure, doctors perform treatments like surgery or run tests without making a big cut into your chest wall. Instead, they use small incisions and special equipment to reach the lungs.

Some advantages of high-tech lung treatments can include:

• Smaller scars
• Less bleeding
• Less pain
• Less need for pain medicine
• Faster recovery

At Carilion, our lung specialists use advanced, minimally invasive techniques to diagnose and treat airway and lung conditions. These procedures can improve breathing, reduce symptoms, and help you recover faster with less pain.

Looking inside and testing

Bronchoscopy is a procedure that lets doctors see inside your lungs and airways using a thin tube with a tiny camera. During bronchoscopy, your doctor can also collect tissue samples for testing.

There are 2 main types of bronchoscopy:

• Flexible bronchoscopy: The most common type. Doctors guide a thin, bendable tube through your mouth or nose to look at your airways.
• Rigid bronchoscopy: A less flexible tube is used in certain situations, such as when removing larger growths or stopping heavy bleeding.

During bronchoscopy, your doctor may also perform a lung biopsy. This means taking a small tissue sample from your lung to check for cancer, infection, or other conditions. A biopsy helps us make an accurate diagnosis and create the best care plan for you.

In addition to diagnosing lung issues, bronchoscopy allows us to deliver or perform treatments directly into the airways.

Treating growths or bleeding

Carilion doctors use several tools during bronchoscopy to remove growths or control bleeding:

• Lasers: Doctors use a laser to cut away growths
• Photodynamic therapy: Uses light to kill throat cancer cells
• Cryotherapy: Freezes cold destroys cancer cells
• Argon plasma coagulation: Doctors use argon gas and electricity to remove tumors or stop bleeding

Opening airways

During a bronchoscopy, doctors can use one of two approaches to keep airways open:

• Airway stents: Small hollow tubes hold your airway open
• Balloon bronchoplasty: A high-pressure balloon that gently widens to open narrowed airways

Care for lung conditions

For certain lung conditions, doctors may suggest specific procedures. These include:

• Bronchial thermoplasty: For severe asthma. Heat thins the muscle around your airways, so they don’t tighten as much.
• Lung valves: Tiny one-way valves placed in airways for severe emphysema or airway fistulas. These block diseased parts of the lung, making it easier for the healthy parts to work.

Your doctor can tell you if a minimally invasive treatment is right for you. You might be a good candidate if you have:

• Growths in the airway or lungs: Lung cancer, tumors, and non-cancerous growths can block airflow. Treatments such as laser, freezing, or stents can shrink or remove them and make breathing easier.
• Asthma: Procedures such as bronchial thermoplasty can reduce the thickness of airway muscles, making it easier to breathe.
• Narrowed airway (stenosis): Doctors can use balloon bronchoplasty to widen the airway or place a stent to keep it open.
• Weak or floppy airways: A stent placed during bronchoscopy can help keep the airway from collapsing.
• Foreign body aspiration: Doctors can use bronchoscopy to locate and remove the object safely.
• Post-surgical airway complications: Minimally invasive tools can remove scar tissue, widen narrowed areas, or place stents to restore airflow.
• Inflammatory breathing issues: Bronchoscopy can help relieve airway blockages caused by inflammation and improve breathing.

Each type of lung treatment is different. Your doctor will talk to you about the specifics of your procedure. But in general, you can expect the following:

Before the procedure

Your doctor will talk to you about when to stop eating before your treatment. They’ll also tell you if it’s safe to take your standard medicines.

You’ll get sedation, so if you’re going home that day, you should plan for someone to drive you home. It’s also a good idea to have a loved one listen to any directions the doctor gives you after the procedure. You may be groggy from the sedative. With preparation and recovery time, plan to be at the hospital for several hours.

At the hospital, the team will give you a sedative. For some procedures, you’ll be completely asleep. For others, you may be awake but won’t feel discomfort.

During the procedure

Your treatment may take only 30 – 60 minutes. Some procedures may take longer.

After the procedure

With some procedures, you’ll go home the same day. With others, you may need to stay in the hospital for a few days.

Recovery time at home will be shorter than with traditional open surgery. But depending on your procedure, you may still need a couple of weeks to regain your strength and energy.

These new treatments have fewer complications than traditional surgeries. But every medical procedure comes with some risks.