Lung (Pulmonology)

Nationally Ranked in Pulmonology

UT Southwestern Medical Center’s pulmonology program is recognized by U.S. News & World Report for 2018-19 as one of the nation’s best hospitals for treatment of lung diseases and disorders.

UT Southwestern Medical Center’s program for lung disorders offers some of the most advanced interventional therapies and surgical procedures available to treat all forms of lung disease.

Our clinicians and researchers are widely recognized as experts in the accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of lung disease. They have made important contributions to improving the lives of patients, as well as developing diagnostic and therapeutic techniques that have advanced the science of lung disease.

Lung disease affects more than 35 million Americans, including conditions such as:

• Asthma
• Cystic fibrosis
• Emphysema
• Interstitial lung disease (pulmonary fibrosis)
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Neuromuscular respiratory disease
• Occupational lung disease
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Sleep disorders

Evaluation

A comprehensive clinical practice, in unison with UT Southwestern Medical Center’s research activities, enables us to provide patients with state-of-the-art diagnostic evaluations, risk assessments, treatments, and pulmonary rehabilitation services.

If patients have been diagnosed or have experienced symptoms related to a lung disorder, our specialists can make an important difference in the treatment of their conditions with a thorough analysis of their condition and treatment options. Lung disease can produce health complications, problematic symptoms, and life-threatening conditions if left untreated.

UT Southwestern is offering a low-dose CT lung cancer screening to look for potentially cancerous spots in people at highest risk for developing lung cancer. If you are over 55 and have smoked the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years, your risk for lung cancer is high enough to be screened.

Services

Through extensive clinical experience and innovative research programs, UT Southwestern Medical Center has consistently earned widespread respect and recognition for our excellence in the diagnosis and treatment of lung disease. Our specialists strive to provide individualized care, while delivering access to the latest medical breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of lung disease.

With the right intervention, patients’ lung conditions and related symptoms can be effectively managed to improve their health and to recover a sense of well-being.

Patients are welcome to contact UT Southwestern or ask their doctor to call the physician-to-physician referral line to be put in touch with a lung specialist. We look forward to forming partnerships with patients in pursuit of improving their lung condition, overall health, and outlook on the future.

Interventional Pulmonary Service

The Interventional Pulmonary Service at UT Southwestern Medical Center offers a variety of minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for benign and malignant thoracic disorders.

They include:

• Ablation procedures for airway recanalization (mechanical and thermal)
• Airway dilation
• Brachytherapy
• Bronchoscopy (image-guided and navigational)
• Cryotherapy
• Endobronchial ultrasound evaluation and biopsies (EBUS)
• Placement of tunneled indwelling pleural catheters
• Rigid bronchoscopy
• Standard diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy
• Ultra-thin bronchoscopy

The service is also involved in clinical and outcomes research related to interventional procedures, such as new treatment modalities for central airway obstruction, management of persistent pulmonary air leaks, and volume reduction approaches for emphysema.

The Interventional Pulmonary Service also works closely with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at UT Southwestern.

Evaluation

Our lung specialists use our pulmonary laboratory to precisely determine the nature of a patient’s lung disease, assess its severity, and provide the treatments needed for improved health.

The pulmonary laboratory combines state-of-the-art testing techniques with a caring staff of lung specialists who are dedicated to helping you achieve the best possible outcome for your lung condition. The laboratory is available for inpatient and outpatient examinations, and includes comprehensive tests for lung capacity, gas exchange and analysis, stress testing, and blood-flow analysis. Our pulmonologists collaborate with laboratory staff to provide brachytherapy and interventional procedures, including rigid bronchoscopy, stent placement, and thoracoscopy.

Available Tests

• Arterial blood gas measurements: To determine the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood
  
• Diffusion measurements: To assess how lungs are able to supply oxygen to the bloodstream
  
• Exercise-based stress testing: To evaluate any asthma or lung-related symptoms being experienced
  
• Lung-volume measurements: To determine the quantity of air lungs can process during inhaling and exhaling
  
• Metabolism assessments: To measure the amount of energy the body is capable of expending
  
• Occupational lung examinations: To evaluate how occupation-related toxins or irritants may have affected the function of the lungs
  
• Oxygen desaturation tests: To measure how exertion effects the amount of oxygen patients need for healthy lung functioning
  
• Spirometry assessments: To determine the volume of air patients are able to inhale and exhale over a period of time
  

Our Specialists

UT Southwestern’s dedication to excellence in the treatment of lung disease is exemplified by a consistently high national ranking in the area of lung transplants. Over a recent 30-month period, our lung transplant program was rated the best in the nation for achieving the highest survival rate for one-year post-transplant patients. Since the lung transplant program began in 1990, UT Southwestern has consistently been ranked among the top 10 in the United States.

Our mission in treating a patient’s lung disease is to provide expert and personalized care for a specific condition – in a setting that also takes full advantage of the most advanced medical resources available.Finding the Right Pulmonologist

Finding the right pulmonologist is a critical aspect to treating your lung condition. A pulmonologist must have the expertise needed to effectively treat the condition, manage symptoms, and help control risk factors for developing any complications related to the progression of lung disease.

UT Southwestern Medical Center’s lung specialists work in conjunction with a primary care physician to coordinate your care and ensure continuity of care during diagnostic examinations, lung treatments, or surgery, as well as post-treatment pulmonary rehabilitation activities.Please visit our Find a Clinical Trial page to see all available pulmonary fibrosis clinical trials. 

Patient Transfers

The patient transport service provides 24-hour direct hospital-to-hospital patient transfers for emergency and complex cases to UT Southwestern facilities.

Call 877-645-0911 to arrange a patient transfer – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.