Cystic Fibrosis - Surgery

Surgery

Surgery may be needed to treat complications of cystic fibrosis. Procedures may include:

• Chest tube drainage and possible thoracoscopy, to treat a collapsed lung (pneumothorax).
• Lung transplant, for people who have severe lung disease.
• Repair of an intestine that has collapsed inside itself or the removal of a bowel obstruction.
• Removal of nasal polyps or endoscopic sinus surgery.
• Abdominal or perineal (anal) surgery for rectal prolapse, in rare cases.

If your child is not able to get all the nutrients he or she needs from food, a feeding tube may be necessary.

People who need frequent intravenous (IV) antibiotics can have a semipermanent tube placed in the vein so that they do not need to have repeated placements of an IV needle.

Surgery Choices

Lung transplant

What To Think About

Lung transplant surgery is generally recommended only for people who have severe lung damage, because the risks can be greater than the benefits. If you are a candidate for lung transplant, you may have to wait a long time for donor lungs (6 months to more than 4 years). But new guidelines from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) are likely to shorten the wait time for donor lungs.

For more information on organ transplants, see the topic Organ Transplant.