The symptoms are similar to climbing a flight of stairs or running around a track. Heavy breathing. Gasping for air. But imagine if you suffered these symptoms with stepping foot out of the door. These are the symptoms of emphysema - an ailment that affects approximately 2 million Americans each year, according to the American Lung Association (ALA).

Now there is an option available for those who are suffering with emphysema. Lung Volume Reduction Surgery (LVRS) is a new variation on a surgical procedure in which the most severely diseased portions of the lung are removed to allow the remaining lung tissue and breathing muscle to work more efficiently. LVRS at our institution employs a minimally invasive surgical technique, limiting the size of the incision and promoting a more expedient patient recover.

"Many patients who have undergone LVRS have shown significant improvement in their breathing ability." said Richard Fischel, M.D., director of the Lung Center at Chapman Medical Center in Orange, California. "In fact, many have returned to leading a normal life again, and resumed activities they were unable to enjoy prior to surgery."

Emphysema, which is primarily attributed to cigarette smoking, begins with the destruction of air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs where oxygen from the air is exchanged for carbon dioxide in the blood. Since the walls of the air sacs are thin and fragile, damage to the air sacs is irreversible and results in permanent "holes" in the tissue of the lungs. As air sacs are destroyed, the lungs gradually become unable to transfer oxygen to the bloodstream and become overinflated, causing shortness of breath.

As lung function decreases, patients become exhausted at the slightest activity - even trying to catch their breath - is hard to manage. In fact, the ALA estimates emphysema ranks 15th among chronic conditions that contribute to activity limitations: almost 44 percent of individuals with emphysema report that the disease has limited their daily activities.

In the past, some seriously ill patients who were young enough to be a candidate for surgery may have opted for lung transplantation, but the procedure was costly and donor lungs were rare. For many people with emphysema, there were not many effective treatments, except perhaps inhaler therapy. Now they have a new option, Lung Volume Reduction Surgery.