Interventional Pulmonary Practice

At the UCSF Interventional Pulmonary Practice, we specialize in diagnosing and caring for patients with lung and airway conditions. Our doctors are experts in using minimally invasive tools and techniques to treat parts of the lungs that previously were accessible only through traditional surgery. We see patients with a wide variety of conditions, including lung cancer, sarcoidosis, pleural effusion, airway strictures and other noncancerous lung conditions. To provide our patients with individualized comprehensive care, we work closely with UCSF's other pulmonary medicine clinics.

To perform diagnostic tests and procedures, we generally employ some type of bronchoscope – a thin, lighted tube with a tiny camera that's inserted through the windpipe to reach deep into the airways and lungs. In many cases, these instruments allow us to deliver a treatment at the time of diagnosis. Some procedures are done on an outpatient basis in the clinic under light sedation, others in the operating room because they require general anesthesia (patients are completely asleep).

Procedures we perform include:

• Airway dilation
• Biopsy of lung nodules
• Cancer treatment with photodynamic therapy
• Control of bleeding with argon plasma coagulation
• Cryotherapy
• Diagnosis and staging of lung cancers
• Endobronchial ultrasound
• Placement of markers for radiation therapy
• Placement of tracheal and bronchial stents
• Removal of nodules or airway strictures with ablative techniques, including freezing (cryosurgery) and heat (electrosurgery)
• Removal of water or air around the lungs with thoracentesis