From Thoracic Surgery to Interventional Pulmonology

Book excerpt: This book provides an unbiased and evidence-based guide to the potential role of interventional pulmonology as an alternative to thoracic surgery. Interventional pulmonology is a new and quickly growing sub-specialty in pulmonary medicine and increasingly more pulmonologists are turning to interventional therapies over the more costly and invasive surgical options. The text thoroughly presents detailed coverage of and diagnostic methods for many diseases and conditions that pulmonologists encounter daily, including: diffuse lung infiltrates, solitary lung nodule, undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion, pneumothorax, hemoptysis, and airway foreign body. Experts then detail treatment options, from both a surgical and interventional perspective, with guidance on: when each procedure is most appropriate, what can be performed by a pulmonologist (with guidelines on how those procedures are done) versus what needs to be referred to a thoracic surgeon or an intervention pulmonologist, and the benefits and disadvantages involved with each option. This is an ideal guide for pulmonologists, trainees, and students to better understand the full scope of possible treatment options for their patients and to make the best informed decision about patient care.