Thoracoscopic lung volume reduction surgery recduces dyspnea and improves exercise capacity in patients with emphysema

摘要

Improved ventilation and exercise capacity follows thoracoscopic lung volume reduction surgery (TLVRS) in patients with severe emphysema. This improvement could be related to changes in in- spiratory and expiratory flows following surgery, with consequent improvement in dyspnea indices. Changes in inspiratory/expiratory flows at rest and exercise and their relation to subjective improve- Ment in dyspnea after TLVRS are not well known.