Until recently, the only viable surgical option has been lung transplantation, which is hampered by transplant complications and a lack of donors.
Ventilation is improved, dyspnea is reduced, and a patient's quality of life improves.
The surgery, however, is palliative and not curative for emphysema. The amount of time it extends the patients' symptom-free interval is not yet determined. We are all familiar with the enlarged chest and flattened diaphragms that these patients exhibit. Throughout the years, many surgical procedures have been designed to treat these characteristics, including costochondrectomy, pneumoperitoneum, thoracoplasty, phrenic nerve interruption, and various other denervation procedures. Each had its proponents, but the results varied.