BOSTON -- Doctors know what causes emphysema most of the time -- cigarettes. But for the 2 million people with the lung disease, there are few treatments and no cure.

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Doctors Test New Procedure

A Boston hospital is the first in the nation to try an experimental procedure that, in essence, collapses diseased parts of the lung, allowing patients to breathe easier.

Emphysema chips away at healthy lung tissue. Doris Aiello, who smoked on and off for 40 years, could feel its slow, steady attack.

"Each year, I would find myself able to do less. One flight of stairs instead of two, and I'd be winded, not being able to pick up my grandkids, getting short of breath," Aiello said.

Aiello had an experimental procedure called VENT, which is short for Endobronchial Valve for Emphysema Palliation Trial -- a technique that doctors hope will collapse the damaged portion of her lungs.

"The parts of your lung that don't work well tend to trap air, that grows like a balloon and squishes on the part of your lungs that work," said Dr. Armin Ernst, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Typically, emphysema patients rely on medications and oxygen, or major surgery, where doctors cut out the diseased tissue, leading to long hospital stays and potential complications.

The VENT procedure uses a flexible scope (pictured, right) threaded down the bronchial tube with no incisions. Valves are placed in the troubled areas. They don't let air in, but do let air out, deflating the diseased part of the lung and allowing the rest of the tissue to breathe freely.

"The whole procedure takes only 20 to 30 minutes, and if everything goes well, they can go home the same day," Ernst said.

Aiello has quit smoking and has been exercising more. She hopes the procedure will help her breathe well enough so she can return to her job as a surgical nurse.

"I hope I breathe better and I can do more. But I just don't want it to get worse. I have a lot I want to do," Aiello said.

Aiello had the surgery and is doing well. In all, 400 patients will be enrolled in clinical trials nationwide. Doctors are hopeful that if these studies work, about half of all patients with emphysema may be helped by the technique.