Interventional Pulmonology Program

Our Interventional Pulmonology Program uses minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat respiratory conditions in infants, kids, and young adults.

We care for children with a wide range of pulmonary problems that are often challenging to diagnose or treat, including:

• Airway obstruction caused by challenging-to-remove airway foreign bodies.
• Persistent air leak, often due to complicated pneumonias.
• Persistent pneumothorax (collapse of one lung).
• Enlarged lymph nodes in the chest.
• Lung infections.
• Narrowing of the airway tree (also called the bronchial tree).

Interventional pulmonology techniques rely on the use of a thin, bendable tube called a bronchoscope. A specially trained pediatric pulmonologist inserts the bronchoscope through your child’s mouth or nose and into the lungs. A light and a small camera on the bronchoscope allow the doctor to look inside the lungs and smaller airways.

Services we offer:

• Cryotherapy. This technology combines bronchoscopy with extremely cold temperatures to safely and effectively remove foreign bodies, mucus plugs in the airways, blood clots, and more via a thin metal probe. Liquid carbon dioxide or liquid nitrogen is used to freeze the bronchoscope and allow doctors to tightly grab small obstructions in the airway, like a tongue stuck to a frozen pole.
• Endobronchial valves. These one-way valves can help stop persistent air leak and persistent pneumothorax, or recurrent collapse of one of the lungs. The valve blocks air from entering but allows air to exit, which gives the air leak or collapsed lung time to heal. Before these valves were available, patients had to have a chest tube, which is often uncomfortable and can limit mobility, for an extended period of time. Thanks to these valves, chest tubes can often be removed sooner. The endobronchial valve can be removed in six to eight weeks, after the air leak or collapsed lung has healed.
• Endobronchial ultrasound. In this minimally invasive procedure, doctors use a bronchoscope with a tiny camera and ultrasound probe attached to see the lymph nodes surrounding the lungs. Endobronchial ultrasound allows doctors to more accurately diagnose infections, tumors in the lung or chest, and other problems. Before endobronchial ultrasound was available, this kind of diagnosis frequently would have required surgery to open the chest.

Why choose Stanford Children’s for interventional pulmonology

• We’re the only children’s hospital on the West Coast to offer these approaches. Our program combines expertise in interventional pulmonology techniques with a deep knowledge of pediatric lung anatomy and a child-friendly environment.
• We collaborate with many specialties—including ear, nose, and throat; general surgery; infectious disease; and oncology—to make sure we have the right approach for each patient.