Indications of bronchoscopic thermal vapor ablation

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a kind of progressive and irreversible chronic pulmonary disease characterized by limited airflow.Emphysema is a common clinic pathophysiological type of COPD.For COPD patients with emphysema, especially for severe or extremely severe emphysema, the effect of medical treatment is very limited.Therefore, the exploration of non-drug treatment has become a hot topic in recent years.Data from national emphysema treatment trial which have been finished in several countries and regiens indicated the effective of lung volume reduction surgery for emphysema.This paper is to summarize the indications of bronchoscopic thermal vapor ablation. Key words: Pulmonary Emphysema; Endobronchial lung volume reduction; Indication