2. Interventional Pulmonology
  3. Patient Care

Patient Care

What is Interventional Pulmonology

Interventional pulmonology (IP) is a subspecialty of pulmonary medicine that uses advanced, minimally invasive techniques to diagnose and treat complex lung, airway, and pleural conditions. Care is often multidisciplinary, bringing together specialists in pulmonology, thoracic surgery, oncology, radiology, and anesthesiology.

Interventional pulmonology has expanded the options available for diagnosing, staging, and treating lung cancer, pulmonary nodules, benign airway disease, and pleural disease. With advanced technologies and techniques, many conditions can be diagnosed or treated without traditional surgery. Procedures may be performed at the patient’s bedside, in an endoscopy suite or in the operating room.

Conditions We Treat

  • Lung cancer
  • Pulmonary nodules
  • Pleural disease
  • Benign airway disease
  • Airway stenosis
  • Severe COPD/emphysema
  • Airway collapse disorders

Procedures & Treatments

Lung Nodules, Masses & Cancer

Advanced techniques to diagnose, stage, and treat lung nodules, masses, and lung cancer.

  • Robotic-assisted and navigation bronchoscopy
  • EBUS and radial EBUS
  • Bronchoscopic biopsy and lymph node sampling
  • Fiducial marker placement
  • Tumor debulking
  • Laser, electrocautery, and argon plasma coagulation
  • Cryotherapy and cryoablation
  • Photodynamic therapy (PDT)
  • Microwave ablation
  • Airway stent placement

Complex Airway Disorders

Specialized treatment for airway narrowing, obstruction, malacia, bleeding, and other complex airway conditions.

  • Rigid and flexible bronchoscopy
  • Balloon airway dilation
  • Airway stent placement and management
  • Treatment of tracheal and bronchial stenosis
  • Treatment of tracheobronchomalacia
  • Foreign body removal
  • Bronchoscopic treatment of hemoptysis
  • Whole-lung lavage

Emphysema & Severe Asthma

Minimally invasive bronchoscopic therapies for appropriately selected patients with advanced emphysema or severe asthma.

  • Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction
  • Endobronchial valve placement, removal, and revision
  • Bronchial thermoplasty

Pleural Diseases

Minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat fluid, air, infection, and other pleural conditions.

  • Thoracentesis
  • Pleural ultrasound and biopsy
  • Medical thoracoscopy (pleuroscopy)
  • Indwelling pleural catheter placement and management
  • Chest tube placement and management
  • Pleurodesis
  • Intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy

Pneumothorax & Persistent Air Leaks

Minimally invasive approaches to treat air around the lung and persistent air leaks.

  • Chest tube placement
  • Chest tube management
  • Bronchoscopic evaluation
  • Endobronchial valve placement

Tracheostomy

  • Percutaneous dilational tracheostomy

Appointments & Patient Resources

Located at:
The UT Professional Building
6410 Fannin Street, Suite 600
Houston, TX 77030
832-325-7222 clinic
713-512-2247 fax

For more information about interventional pulmonology care and related services, visit: