May 24, 2007 - Results of a CT study presented today at the Annual American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2007 International meeting, demonstrate that by combining advanced CT technology to images before and after the valve procedures, clinicians can more accurately pinpoint changes in inspired air volumes and understand the redirection of air from the diseased portions of the lung to the less affected areas.
In the study, the valves were implanted in participating patients and combined CT imaging with volumetric software analyses before and after treatment. The study results showed that by combining advanced CT scanning and analyses, clinicians can now accurately identify the anatomic definitions within the lung, providing the detailed analyses needed to better understand the ways bronchial valve treatment works. Researchers also found these patients with severe emphysema have improvement in health status because the valves redirect significant amounts of the inspired air to healthier lung tissue.
This technology will enable clinicians to better validate the improvements in health status that the patients have been reporting after a bronchial valve treatment.
The CT Study data showed:
* Decrease in volume of the treated upper lobes in 82 percent of patients measured after 3-months of treatment and 87 percent after 6-months
* Decrease in upper lobe volume averaged 10 percent of the lobe and correlated to a similar increase in volume in the untreated lobes.
* These volume changes were compared with patient reported outcomes and the two separate measures showed significant agreement among the majority of responders to valve treatment.
May 15, 2024 
