Interventional pulmonology uses endoscopy as a non-surgical approach to diagnose and treat conditions of the lung and chest. Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell is one of five hospitals in the region (and one of only two in New Jersey) to offer true interventional pulmonology services.
Diagnosis and treatment
With access to cutting-edge diagnostic and imaging technology available all under one roof at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell, we use the following procedures to accurately diagnose your condition and develop a personalized treatment plan:
- Bronchoscopy – Using a flexible tube (endoscope) advanced via the mouth or nose to view the airways and the lungs.
- Electromagnetic Navigation (EMN) bronchoscopy – Using a detailed 3D map of your lungs generated from your CT chest scan data, sensor-equipped instruments are guided to lung nodules beyond the reach of traditional bronchoscopy techniques to obtain biopsies and avoid more invasive testing techniques.
- Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) – Used to diagnose and stage lung cancer and biopsy lymph nodes with more precision; often used in conjunction with EMN.
- Rigid bronchoscopy – Uses a long metal tube advanced into the windpipe and main airways allowing the doctor to use more sophisticated surgical tools and techniques.
- Stent Placement – During a bronchoscopy, a wire mesh tube is placed in a narrowed or blocked airway and expanded to relieve symptoms caused by the blockage.
- Ablation and Cryotherapies – Used to remove or reduce the size of endobronchial tumors before proceeding to additional treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation.
- Tunneled Catheter Placement – A method of draining recurrent pleural effusion (fluid around the lungs). Lung cancer patients are among typical candidates for this procedure.
- Pleuroscopy – Through small incisions in the chest wall, a pleuroscope (a specialized type of endoscope) is advanced into the chest cavity to diagnose some conditions of the pleura (lining of the lung). This technique provides a view of the outside edges of the lung that cannot be seen using bronchoscopy.
- Pleurodesis – For people with recurring pleural effusions (fluid around the lungs), a plastic tube is inserted into the chest cavity through a small incision in the chest wall. Through the tube, a treatment is sprayed around the lung that causes the pleura (lung lining) to adhere to the chest wall and prevent fluid from building up.
Pleuroscopy with biopsy and pleurodesis may also be used together to diagnose unidentified pleural effusions and remove adhesions. For cancer patients who are not candidates for surgery, we perform placement of fiducial markers as points of reference for stereotactic radiosurgery, which is offered through the Radiation Oncology Department at the Capital Health Cancer Center, located at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell.