Diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema

About the department

The Department of Pediatric Pulmonology at the Pediatric Diagnostic Hospital M1 Munich offers young patients with respiratory and lung diseases the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. Of particular interest is the provision of medical care to children and adolescents with chronic respiratory pathologies. The department's doctors have at their disposal modern diagnostic rooms with state-of-the-art equipment. The specialists perform the necessary laboratory tests, pulmonary function tests, exercise tests, and imaging tests, including ultrasound, X-ray, and computed tomography scans. Pediatric pulmonologists also have successful experience in endoscopic examinations. A treatment regimen is developed based on the results of the child's preliminary diagnostics and usually includes effective conservative measures. The first-line treatment is pharmacotherapy. Doctors make every effort to provide the child with high-quality medical care in a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere. The Head Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Uwe Mellies.

The treatment of bronchial asthma in children is one of the priorities of the department's doctors. Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways in which a child develops bronchial obstruction. The pathology is chronic, which means that it can be successfully controlled but not completely cured. The goal of therapy is to achieve the longest period of remission and improve the quality of life of the child. If untreated, the child develops severe complications, including life-threatening conditions. Bronchial asthma manifests itself in different ways, but its main symptoms are attacks of suffocation, shortness of breath, a dry, acute cough, and chest pain. After examining the child and studying his complaints, a doctor analyzes the anamnesis, after which he prescribes additional diagnostic examinations. An integral part of the diagnostic process is lung function assessment. Chest X-ray scans and allergy tests are often conducted. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the attending physician proceeds to develop an individually tailored treatment regimen. As a rule, therapy consists of three key elements: the maximum elimination of asthma triggers, drug therapy, and the use of inhalers during an asthma exacerbation. In the course of elaborating a treatment regimen, the specialist always takes into account the type of bronchial asthma and its stage, the severity of symptoms, the frequency of attacks, the presence of concomitant diseases, etc. As an additional method, moderate physical activity is used to improve lung and heart function, which in turn alleviates the symptoms of the pathology.

The department's team of doctors regularly admits newborns with respiratory distress syndrome. This pathology is characterized by severe respiratory disorders in newborns caused by lung immaturity and primary surfactant deficiency. The disease is usually detected at the stage of prenatal diagnosis. Doctors always take into account the anamnesis, the clinical manifestations of the pathology, and the results of X-ray scans. Differential diagnostics is aimed at excluding sepsis, pneumonia, transient tachypnea of the newborns, and other diseases. The department's doctors strongly recommend starting treatment as early as possible to avoid the development of severe complications. Therapeutic measures include the injection of a surfactant into the child's trachea in the first minutes of life and the use of CPAP therapy (respiratory support). If CPAP therapy is ineffective, doctors prescribe the child artificial lung ventilation. Later, to ensure well-performed lung function, a newborn child may require surfactant replacement therapy.

The department's pulmonologists have excellent professional skills in providing medical care to children with recurrent bronchitis and pneumonia, hereditary respiratory diseases, pathological lung lesions in children with cancer, immunodeficiencies, or severe systemic diseases. In cooperation with pediatric neurologists, pulmonologists diagnose and treat breathing disorders in children with paralysis, myopathies, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy. Children with breathing disorders caused by chest wall malformations and scoliosis, disturbances of breath regulation, chronic snoring, and obstructive sleep apnea can receive medical care in the department.

The department's range of diagnostic and therapeutic services includes:

• Diagnostic services
  • Laboratory tests
    • Biochemical and microbiological tests
    • Allergy tests within an in-house specialized laboratory
  • Pulmonary function tests
    • Spirometry
    • Whole-body plethysmography
    • Nitrogen washout in multiple respiration
  • Stress tests
    • Ergometry
    • Spiroergometry
  • Imaging tests
    • Ultrasound scans
    • X-ray scans
    • Computed tomography
    • Endoscopic examinations of the upper respiratory tract
    • Bronchoscopy
• Therapeutic services
  • Pharmacotherapy
  • Inhalation therapy
  • Oxygen therapy
  • Therapeutic endoscopic procedures (for example, foreign body removal from the airways)
• Other diagnostic and treatment methods