[A national survey of results of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) for pulmonary emphysema in Japan].

ABSTRACT

We made a national questionnaire survey of conditions and results of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) performed for pulmonary emphysema in 273 hospitals. The survey covered number of hospitals, number of patients, indications, operative procedures, improvement of FEV1% and dyspnea score, mortality, cause of death, 5-year survival rate, characteristics of patients who died, and current conditions of LVRS. The response rate was 63%. A total of 619 patients at 41 hospitals underwent LVRS. The most common types of surgical procedure were bilateral LVRS through median sternotomy and unilateral LVRS with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), followed by bilateral LVRS with VATS. Postoperative improvement in FEV1% averaged 39%. Dyspnea improved in 80% of patients. Mortality rate was 1.9% (8 of 432 cases). Postoperative infectious diseases, namely pneumonia and sepsis, were common causes of death. The 5-year survival was 65 +/- 8%. The causes of death over 5 years were respiratory failure in 60%, malignant neoplasms in 17%, cardiovascular accidents in 13% and others in 10%. The number of operations and hospitals decreased in 2002, compared to 2001.