Lung Volume Reduction Surgery

Surgery Information

In lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS), the surgeon removes small wedges of damaged lung tissue, usually about 20 to 30 percent of each lung. Removing some damaged air sacs reduces the size of the lungs. As a result, the diaphragm contracts and relaxes more effectively and efficiently, and the patient can breathe better.

Another procedure uses lasers to remove damaged lung tissue, but this technique hasn't been as effective as volume reduction surgery. A careful selection process determines which patients will likely benefit from the procedure. Patients must quit smoking before being considered for LVRS; not everyone with emphysema is a candidate for the surgery.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Exercising to expand lung capacity and improve breathing is critical before and after the patient has lung volume reduction surgery.

Once patients are discharged from the hospital, they have the option to continue their lung-building exercises at Mayo Clinic or they can continue the exercises through a rehabilitation center located closer to their home. Mayo Clinic will work with the patient's family physician to ensure care is coordinated and continues.

Smoking and Lung Volume Reduction Surgery

Lung volume reduction surgery is an option only to patients who have demonstrated that they have successfully quit smoking and are committed to not using tobacco again. Mayo Clinic offers assistance to help patients quit smoking.

For patients who have an inherited form of emphysema and their families

People who are born with a deficiency of the protein alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT) are likely to develop severe emphysema in their 30s and 40s — a condition called AAT deficiency-related emphysema. Medical testing will help determine if these patients are appropriate for lung volume reduction surgery. Because these patients are relatively young, they are frequently referred for lung transplant at Mayo Clinic.