The Clinical Techniques, Imaging and Endoscopy Assembly is involved in the diagnosis
and treatment of several pulmonary diseases, as demonstrated at the 2023 European
Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Milan, Italy. From interventional
pulmonology, the congress included several exciting results for the use of bronchoscopy
in lung cancer, including augmented fluoroscopy, robotic-assisted bronchoscopy and
cryobiopsies. In obstructive lung disease, the latest results on bronchoscopic treatment
of emphysema with hyperinflation and chronic bronchitis were presented. Research on
using cryobiopsies to diagnose interstitial lung disease was further explored, with
the aims of elevating diagnostic yield and minimising risk. For imaging, the latest
updates in using artificial intelligence to overcome the increased workload of radiologists
were of great interest. Novel imaging in sarcoidosis explored the use of magnetic
resonance imaging, photon-counting computed tomography and positron emission tomography/computed
tomography in the diagnostic work-up. Lung cancer screening is still a hot topic and
new results were presented regarding incorporation of biomarkers, identifying knowledge
gaps and improving screening programmes. The use of ultrasound in respiratory medicine
is an expanding field, which was demonstrated by the large variety in studies presented
at the 2023 ERS Congress. Ultrasound of the diaphragm in patients with amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis and myasthenia gravis was used to assess movements and predict respiratory
fatigue. Furthermore, studies using ultrasound to diagnose or monitor pulmonary disease
were presented. The congress also included studies regarding the training and assessment
of competencies as an important part of implementing ultrasound in clinical practice.
