Transbronchial cryobiopsy in lung transplantation: risk, reward and relevance

Development of transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) technology was inspired by the Joule–Thomson principle, where rapid freezing occurs with the sudden expansion of certain gases as they move from a high-pressure to a low-pressure environment. Harnessing this phenomenon in a catheter tip which has the flexibility to be manoeuvred into awkward positions via flexible bronchoscope allows peripheral lung tissue to be sampled. The diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities of flexible bronchoscopy have expanded considerably since its first use by Sanderson et al. [1] for the cryoablation of an endobronchial tumour; bronchoscopic cryosurgery has evolved to include cryoablation, cryoadhesion and cryobiopsy.
Source: European Respiratory Journal - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Editorials Source Type: research