Medical Areas Procedures Products

Interventional Bronchoscopy

Boston Scientific provides a broad range of options to support the work of pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons and general surgeons. Boston Scientific is a leading developer of innovative medical technologies used to diagnose, palliate (ease) and treat pulmonary disease symptoms within the airway and lungs. Less-invasive treatment options for pulmonary disease symptoms include products designed to help perform biopsies, retrieve foreign bodies from the airway, open strictures (narrowings of a passage) of the airway, stop internal bleeding, and palliate symptoms of some types of airway cancers.

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

PATIENTS

Overview

Patients

Cancer of the pulmonary system can greatly impact an afflicted person’s ability to live his/her life comfortably. In 2006, the American Cancer Society (http://www.cancer.org) estimated that more than 181,300 people were diagnosed with lung cancer, bronchus cancer or non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the pulmonary system.¹ In many of those cases, inoperable tumors may prevent patients from breathing on their own without some intervention. Regular screening by a health care professional may help in diagnosing cancer at its early stages.

Less-invasive treatments are often preferable to conventional surgery in treating diseases of the pulmonary system, as they can significantly reduce recovery time, are generally less expensive and typically subject patients to fewer risks than conventional surgery. In less-invasive procedures, devices are usually inserted into the body through natural openings or small incisions and can be guided to most areas of the anatomy to diagnose and treat a wide range of medical problems.

For more information on your condition or treatment options, please see Procedures and/or Products sections or click on the related links section.

References

¹ American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts and Figures 2006. http://www.cancer.org. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2006.