Interventional Pulmonology Program

Our care team determines the best course of treatment based on each patient’s individual needs which includes treatment in both in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Some of the procedures we perform include:

• Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) with endobronchial valves for patients with severe emphysema
• Rheoplasty and Cryospray for patients with chronic bronchitis
• Bronchial thermoplasty for patients with severe persistent asthma
• Airway stent placement for benign and malignant airway obstruction
• Pleural drainage, pleurodesis, and tunneled pleural catheter placement
• Percutaneous tracheostomy and gastrostomy
• T-tube placement

Our program is distinguished by our expertise in advanced diagnostics for the full range of IP conditions, especially lung cancer and pulmonary nodules. The novel diagnostic tools we use include:

• Robotic assisted bronchoscopy
• Cone-beam CT
• Endobronchial ultrasound
• Blood tests (Nodify)
• Percepta nasal swab for assessing nodule risk of malignancy
• Cryobiopsy

A hallmark of our care is our collaborative and multidisciplinary approaches to each of our patient’s conditions. We work closely with several Divisions across BIDMC particularly with colleagues in Thoracic Surgery as part of the Chest Disease Center and ENT for treatment of complex airway conditions. Some of these collaborations include complex airway reconstructions, evaluation and short-term stent placement in TBM patients to determine candidacy for tracheobronchoplasty and fissure completion surgery with BLVR in patients with severe emphysema and collateral ventilation.

We also work closely alongside our colleagues in Medical Oncology and Radiation Oncology to provide care for patients with advanced cancer, sharing a clinic space to allow for streamlined patient care. We are currently participating in peripheral lung ablation of malignant lung nodules followed by standard of care lung resection within clinical trials, working closely with Thoracic Surgery and Oncology.

To make an appointment, please call us at 617-632-8252. Our administrative coordinators will help you to schedule an appointment at a time and location that best suits you. In addition to the main BIDMC campus, we are proud to provide care across other Beth Israel Deaconess hospital sites, including Milton and Chestnut Hill.

If you have existing imaging, please bring recent X-Rays, CT scans, or PET scans to your appointment either as a hard copy or on a CD, or make them available prior to the appointment.

To refer a patient or with inquiries, please email us.

We believe that providing great care always includes ensuring our patients feel as informed and prepared for their procedures as possible. At your appointment, your physician will take the time to walk you through your upcoming procedure and will be glad to answer any questions you may have. If you would like to learn more about your procedure before or after your appointment, below is a list of common conditions and treatments:

Airway Stents: Can be used to treat blockages or narrowing in the airway, Airway Stents can improve respiratory symptoms, quality of life, and exercise capacity in select patients.

Flexible Bronchoscopy: Flexible Bronchoscopy is often performed to diagnose unexplained symptoms, including persistent cough, coughing up blood, wheezing, hoarseness, noisy breathing, or shortness of breath. Bronchoscopies may also be performed in an effort to treat some of these symptoms.

Pleurodesis: Pleurodesis is used to treat pleural effusions, which are collections of excess fluid in the space between the two layers of pleura, which line the space between your lungs and chest wall. Pleurodesis is intended to remove the fluid and prevent it from returning, and it is performed by injecting a talc solution into the pleural space through a chest drain or by directly spraying talc during a pleuroscopy.

Pleuroscopy: In a pleuroscopy, a doctor views the chest cavity and lungs by inserting a thin tube between the ribs and through the chest wall. A pleuroscopy allows the doctor to examine and diagnose problems in the chest, obtain tissue samples, drain fluid, and administer treatments to prevent fluid from returning.

Thoracentesis: Thoracentesis involves removing any or all fluid that may have built up in the space around the lung. This procedure can ease existing symptoms, such as shortness of breath or chest pain, and it can allow the doctor to take a sample of the fluid for testing to enable us to diagnose and treat the patient’s condition.

Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM): A rare condition, often time misdiagnosed. In TBM, airways become weak and floppy, collapsing in when a patient breaths. Common symptoms including a barking cough and severe dyspnea. For more information, visit our TBM page.

Tunneled Pleural Catheter (TPC): TPC is a catheter which can be inserted during an outpatient appointment for drainage of abnormal accumulation of fluid around the lungs also called a pleural effusion.

Our team is dedicated to developing new and novel ways to improve patient care, participating in multiple clinical trials at local, regional, and international levels, and pioneering revolutionary approaches to current challenges to the health of our patients. A recent example of our transformative research involves utilizing microwave ablation to treat early-identified lung cancer in a minimally invasive way. As a team, we always strive to deliver the best care for our patients while keeping ourselves up to date with the latest technologies. If you are interested in learning more about research studies, please email us.