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Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) involves resection of emphysematous tissue to improve overall pulmonary function in patients with advanced emphysema (see ). In the landmark National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT), patients whose disease distribution was heterogeneous and primarily in upper lobes had improved symptoms and longer survival with LVRS than with medical management, whereas other subgroups saw no benefit or had worse outcomes.
However, surgical techniques and patient selection have improved since NETT was published in 2003. In a new observational, single-center study from Belgium, researchers report outcomes for 223 LVRS procedures performed since 2019 in 191 patients with severe airflow obstruction, hyperinfl…