Dr. Arda Kiani, a pulmonology specialist and member of the scientific committee of the 12th International Congress on Lung Diseases, Critical Care, and Tuberculosis, reported the treatment of over 5,000 lung patients in Tehran over the past 12 years using the diagnostic and therapeutic method of bronchoscopy. This non-invasive method not only causes less harm to patients but also significantly reduces the costs associated with surgery and hospitalization.
Development of non-invasive methods
Kiani explained that the bronchoscopy method allows doctors to treat lung cancers, infections, inflammatory diseases, asthma, and remove foreign bodies from the lungs without the need for open chest surgery and on an outpatient basis. He noted that 26 years ago, for the first time, biopsy of lung lesions became possible without open surgery, adding that this method has become one of the main tools for diagnosing lung diseases.
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Changing patients' lives
This pulmonology specialist also referred to the impact of minimally invasive methods on patients' lives, stating: "With the help of bronchoscopy, many patients have been spared from heavy and unnecessary surgeries." He explained that in some patients who cannot tolerate surgery due to heart problems or general conditions, bronchoscopy can open the airways and control symptoms. The introduction of ultrasound into the field of pulmonology has also shown how simple tools can make clinical decision-making faster and safer.
Kiani also added that EBUS bronchoscopy services are not limited to Tehran, and the goal is to prevent patients from having to travel to Tehran for diagnostic biopsies. For this purpose, training and transferring this experience to other universities and centers across the country is underway. Other interventional bronchoscopy methods have also been developed in cities such as Mashhad, Shiraz, Isfahan, Kerman, Tabriz, Ahvaz, and Sari.
The 12th International Congress on Lung Diseases, Critical Care, and Tuberculosis will be held from October 6 to 9, 2026, at the Abou Rayhan Hall of the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences International Conference Center in Tehran. In this scientific event, the latest achievements and new approaches in the field of lung diseases and critical care will be discussed and examined.
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