Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction by endobronchial valve in advanced emphysema: the first Asian report

Abstract

Tai Sun Park,1 Yoonki Hong,2 Jae Seung Lee,1 Sang Young Oh,3 Sang Min Lee,3 Namkug Kim,3 Joon Beom Seo,3 Yeon-Mok Oh,1 Sang-Do Lee,1 Sei Won Lee1 1Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Clinical Research Center for Chronic Obstructive Airway Diseases, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; 2Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea; 3Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Purpose: Endobronchial valve (EBV) therapy is increasingly being seen as a therapeutic option for advanced emphysema, but its clinical utility in Asian populations, who may have different phenotypes to other ethnic populations, has not been assessed.Patients and methods: This prospective open-label single-arm clinical trial examined the clinical efficacy and the safety of EBV in 43 consecutive patients (mean age 68.4±7.5, forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1] 24.5%±10.7% predicted, residual volume 208.7%±47.9% predicted) with severe emphysema with complete fissure and no collateral ventilation in a tertiary referral hospital in Korea.Results: Compared to baseline, the patients exhibited significant improvements 6 months after EBV therapy in terms of FEV1 (from 0.68±0.26 L to 0.92±0.40 L; P<0.001), 6-minute walk distance (from 233.5±114.8 m to 299.6±87.5 m; P=0.012), modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale (from 3.7±0.6 to 2.4±1.2; P<0.001), and St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (from 65.59±13.07 to 53.76±11.40; P=0.028). Nine patients (20.9%) had a tuberculosis scar, but these scars did not affect target lobe volume reduction or pneumothorax frequency. Thirteen patients had adverse events, ten (23.3%) developed pneumothorax, which included one death due to tension pneumothorax.Conclusion: EBV therapy was as effective and safe in Korean patients as it has been shown to be in Western countries. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01869205). Keywords: bronchoscopy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, collateral ventilation, fissure integrity, treatment outcome