Minimally invasive treatment for lung disease in Australia

A minimally invasive procedure is now available to Australian patients suffering from obstructive lung diseases such as emphysema.

An alternative to surgical resection of the most diseased part of a lung, endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) involves having an umbrella-shaped, one-way valve endoscopically positioned into the airway serving the affected lobe. The valve is introduced via a delivery catheter threaded through the working channel of a flexible bronchoscope.

“ELVR involves implanting a small, one-way valve into the airway of the most severely damaged lobe,” explained Professor Alvin Ing, an interventionist pulmonologist and one of the few physicians performing the ELVR procedure in Australia. “When a patient exhales, air flows through the valve and out of the lobe fed by the airway; however, when the patient inhales, the valve closes and blocks air from entering the lobe.”

The IBV (intra-bronchial valve) was developed by Spiration (which was acquired by Olympus in 2010) and consists of a nitinol frame covered with a polymer membrane and five anchors. Nitinol is a highly biocompatible alloy and capable of shape memory, ie, the ability to undergo deformation at one temperature, then recover its original, undeformed shape when heated. It is thus suitable for use in a large number of minimally invasive medical devices.

The Olympus Spiration IBV.

The valve’s state-of-the-art design minimises contact with the bronchial wall and naturally fits the complex contours of the airway. The anchors gently secure the valve at a targeted point to prevent any migration or expectoration of the valve. Once in place, the valve limits airflow to the damaged tissue while allowing the trapped air and any secretions to escape.

Users are now able to see a demonstration of the TGA-approved IBV at Olympus’s Customer Experience Centre at its Melbourne headquarters.