Interventional Pulmonology

We are pleased to present this issue of Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine dedicated to interventional pulmonology. We are grateful to Joseph Lynch, the editor in chief, for inviting us to be guest editors. Since we compiled an issue of Seminars in 1997 (volume 18, number 6), there have been many advances in the world of pulmonary medicine, including in areas of imaging, new drug development, and ventilator management and ICU care. Among the most important advances are the development and maturation of the field of interventional pulmonology. We have had the privilege to be involved in this field since its inception and we have worked together on several projects involving interventional pulmonology. We have here enlisted many leading experts in the field, some recognized names and some new ones, to present the state of the art of interventional pulmonary medicine. Although interventional pulmonology is focused around several procedures that are performed by pulmonologists and critical care physicians, we have deliberately tried to emphasize the science behind the clinical application of these procedures. It is unlikely that all pulmonologists will be proficient in all procedures, but we believe that the pulmonary community should be familiar with the indications and contraindications of these procedures and the role they play in the management of patients. Those who choose to pursue such procedures should seek proper training.

Interventional pulmonary medicine involves the clinical application of several relatively invasive, high-risk procedures in patients who present with serious, often potentially fatal, airway and pleural conditions. This issue of Seminars updates certain interventional pulmonary procedures that have matured over time and introduces certain new procedures that are on the horizon.

Many physicians have contributed to the advances in interventional pulmonary medicine, but two stand out. Dr. Shiketo Ikeda from Tokyo, Japan, invented the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope-a procedure that has defined the field of modern pulmonary medicine. Dr. Jean François Dumon of Marseille, France, helped define the field of interventional pulmonology by introducing Nd:YAG laser bronchoscopy and silicone stents to physicians throughout the world. The death of Dr. Ikeda in 2002 and Dr. Dumon’s recent retirement mark the end of the original era of interventional pulmonology.

We wish to acknowledge and thank our contributors to this issue of Seminars. Many are colleagues, collaborators, and friends. All are highly productive, clinically active individuals and we appreciate the time and effort that they have set aside to contribute. We thank Thieme Medical Publishers for their gentle prodding and encouragement to take on and complete this task. We also wish to thank our families and local colleagues for their continued support whenever we take on new projects.