Emphysema is a common medical condition that can lead to extreme breathlessness and reduced quality of life. One of the management approaches is to collapse severely damaged lung with the aim of improving function of the remaining healthier lung. Imaging and quantification of the damage caused by emphysema is used to identify regions of the lung most severely affected. This is paired with a unique physiological assessment technique to guide treatment decision making.

High resolution imaging of the lungs is obtained after patient coaching by our trained radiographers. The data is analysed lobe by lobe to identify and quantify the degree of emphysema. The data is subsequently presented to a team of interventional thoracic physicians at our regular meetings, helping guide management decisions including endobronchial valve implantation and lobar collapse.

A series of patients, showing colour segmentation of each lung, followed by division into individual lobes. The third image demonstrates upper zone distribution of emphysema (tagged red). The final case shows valves (circled) within the airways successfully collapsing the damaged and poorly functioning left lower lobe.