Interventional Pulmonology

The interventional pulmonology team at Acclaim Physician Group offers you advanced care for lung conditions. Our pulmonary disease specialists can help you breathe easier and enjoy a better quality of life.

Expert Care

You’ll receive care you can trust from the only interventional pulmonologists in Fort Worth. They have fellowship training and board certification from the American Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology.

What’s Interventional Pulmonology (IP)?

Interventional pulmonology uses minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat lung and breathing problems. These techniques cause less pain, bleeding, and recovery time than surgery. So, you return to your usual activities more quickly.

When to See an Interventional Pulmonology Specialist

Ask your primary care provider about Interventional Pulmonology if you often experience:

  • Fever, sore throat, cough, or coughing up blood (hemoptysis)
  • Hoarseness, wheezing, or a harsh vibrating noise when breathing (stridor)
  • Shortness of breath

Conditions & Symptoms We Treat

You can get complete respiratory and pulmonary care for:

  • Airway problems that are benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous)
  • Cancer in the chest, like lung cancer
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Chronic respiratory failure
  • Collapse of a child’s windpipe (tracheomalacia)
  • Coughing up blood (hemoptysis)
  • Liquid around the lungs (pleural effusion)
  • Lung nodule or lung mass
  • Narrowing of vital structures due to scar tissue
  • Recurrent respiratory wart-like growths (papillomatosis)
  • Relapsing cartilage inflammation (polychondritis)
  • Severe, persistent asthma
  • Swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy)
  • Tumors, such as endobronchial and carcinoid tumors

Interventional Pulmonology Services

Feel confident knowing our advanced tests and procedures can detect and address breathing problems early, when they’re easier to treat.

Airway Stent (Tracheobronchial Stent)

Stents are small silicon or metal tubes that keep narrow airways open. Airway stents can either be permanent or removable.

Balloon Airway Dilation

This procedure expands airways with a balloon. It uses a bronchoscope (small camera) to guide treatment of tumors, inflammatory conditions, or other diseases.

Bronchial Thermoplasty (BT)

BT helps treat severe asthma by using a small amount of heat to open narrowed airways. A small tube inside a bronchoscope gently heats and shrinks the smooth muscles in the lungs that tighten during asthma attacks.

Electromagnetic Navigational Bronchoscopy (EMNB) 

EMND takes tissue samples from lung masses using a GPS-like system to create a 3-D map of the lungs. It uses a thin, flexible tube to guide the collection of precise tissue samples or place markers for targeted radiation. This helps find lung cancer earlier, when it’s easier to treat. The procedure is usually done on an outpatient basis so that you can go home the same day.

Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS)

EBUS uses an ultrasound and a bronchoscope to diagnose and stage lung cancer, infections, and lesions in the airways and lungs. During the procedure, the interventional pulmonologist uses a needle to take tissue samples from the lungs and nearby lymph nodes without surgery.

Endobronchial Valve Placement

This treats emphysema and other lung conditions by placing a small device in the airway during a bronchoscopy. The valve lets air flow out of the lungs, but stops air from entering damaged areas. This allows healthier parts of the lung to expand more easily.

Flexible & Rigid Bronchoscopy

Your interventional pulmonologist may use bronchoscopy to diagnose and treat airway diseases, including lung infections, blockages, and lung cancer. This procedure places a thin tube with a light and camera into your airways.

Indwelling Tunneled Pleural Catheter (PleurX)

Receive at-home relief from pleural effusion with this thin, flexible tube placed in the chest to drain pleural fluid.

Percutaneous Tracheostomy

A tracheostomy opens the front wall of the trachea and inserts a tube for breathing. You may need it if you’re critically ill.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

PDT is a treatment for lung cancer that uses light and drugs called photosensitizing agents to kill cancer cells.

Pleuroscopy

This procedure examines the pleural cavity, the space between the two layers of tissue inside the lung. Your doctor uses a camera to look for problem areas in the cavity and may take tissue or fluid samples.

Robotic Navigational Bronchoscopy (Ion)

This procedure takes samples of peripheral lung nodules to diagnose lung cancer and infections. The robotic technology can access hard-to-reach nodules (suspicious lumps). So, a surgeon doesn’t need to make an incision to get to them.

Thermal Ablation Techniques 

Heat and laser therapy treat tumors in the airways that block breathing. These methods help remove both benign and malignant tumors that cause obstructions (blockages).

Lung Cancer Screening

A low-dose CT lung scan helps find cancer early so that you can start treatment sooner.

To qualify, you need to:

  • Be between 50 and 80 years old
  • Have a smoking history of 20 pack-years, (meaning you smoked a pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years)
  • Either currently smoke or have quit in the past 15 years

If you meet all these criteria, talk to your doctor about having this screening every year.

Your Care Team

Receive exceptional care from a team of specialists, which may include:

  • General pulmonologist – Specializes in diagnosing and treating respiratory diseases
  • Cardiothoracic surgeon – Does surgery on heart, lungs, and chest
  • Ear, nose, and throat surgeon – Treats the upper airways, such as the windpipe and sinuses
  • Intensivist – Oversees care for people who are critically ill
  • Interventional pulmonary coordinator – Manages every aspect of care
  • Medical and radiation oncologists – Manage care for people with cancer
  • Pulmonary and critical care physicians – Diagnose, manage, and treat breathing and lung conditions
  • Pulmonary advanced practitioners – Provide specialty care to people with respiratory conditions
  • Pulmonary function technician – Performs lung tests
  • Respiratory therapists – Help provide care for people with sleep apnea
  • Sleep disorder specialist – Diagnoses and treats sleep-related breathing problems

Maintain Healthy Lungs

You can support strong and healthy lungs by:

  • Avoiding exposure to indoor and outdoor pollutants like smog
  • Eat healthy and exercise
  • Don't smoke
  • Get regular health checkups

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