Management of bullous disease.
Although emphysema is a "medical disease", the removal of large bullae may be beneficial to some patients. Selection for surgery should be based on careful clinical, anatomic, and functional evaluations. Unfortunately, no single preoperative test is considered to be an accurate predictor of improvement. Additionally, the natural history of unresected bullae is poorly understood because some lesions increase rapidly, whereas others remain unchanged for long periods of time.
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Le Centre de Pneumologie de Laval, Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada.
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Deslauriers
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Leblanc
D004646:Emphysema / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D010995:Pleural Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery