Interventional Pulmonology at Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group

Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group Interventional Pulmonology employs state-of-the-art, minimally invasive techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of both benign and malignant diseases of the chest. Your care will be guided through close collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of physicians as appropriate, including specialists in medical and radiation oncology, thoracic surgery, otolaryngology and chest radiology. Services are offered at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital and Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital.

Conditions we treat

Procedures we offer

Zephyr^® Valve for the treatment of severe emphysema

The Zephyr^® Endobronchial Valve System is the first FDA-approved, minimally invasive procedure to help emphysema sufferers breathe easier without major surgery. The one-time procedure is done during a bronchoscopy that requires no cutting or incisions.

During the procedure, on average, four tiny valves are placed in the airways to block off the diseased parts of the lungs. The valves help reduce hyperinflation, preventing air from being trapped in the diseased area of the lung, and allowing healthier parts of the lung to take in more air. This results in patients being able to breathe easier.

Patients treated report being able to take full breaths immediately after the procedure, and within a week are back to doing everyday tasks with ease. In clinical studies, patients treated with Zephyr^® Valves have been shown to:

• Breathe easier
• Be more active and energetic
• Be less short of breath
• Enjoy a significantly improved quality of life, compared to untreated patients

Auris Health Monarch^™ Platform for the earlier and more accurate diagnosis of lung nodules

A novel technology that allows minimally invasive access deep inside the lungs to obtain a tissue sample for biopsy, the goal of the Auris Health Monarch Platform is to enable earlier and more accurate diagnosis of lung nodules.

The technology integrates the latest advancements in robotics, software, data science, and endoscopy (the use of small cameras). Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy allows the care team to view and take sample tissue from areas deep in the lung that previously were only accessible via more invasive methods.

The Monarch Platform utilizes a familiar, controller-like interface that physicians use to navigate the flexible robotic endoscope to the periphery of the lung with improved reach, vision, and control. Combining traditional endoscopic views into the lung with computer-assisted navigation based on 3-D models of the patient’s own lung anatomy, the Monarch Platform provides physicians with continuous bronchoscope vision throughout the entire procedure.

Medical director

Benjamin J. Seides, MD, is a board-certified interventional pulmonologist with training and additional American Board of Internal Medicine certification in internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care medicine. His clinical interests include minimally invasive advanced diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to benign and malignant diseases of the lung, pleura and thorax; complex airway disease; thoracic oncology; and endobronchial treatments for asthma and COPD.

Dr. Seides earned his medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine, where he was elected to AOA, and he earned a Master of Public Health in health systems management from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans. He completed his residency in internal medicine, as well as his fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine, at New York University/Bellevue Hospital Centers. He went on to complete an advanced fellowship year in interventional pulmonology with the Chicago Chest Center.

After spending several years practicing in Chicago, Dr. Seides moved with his family to be an assistant professor of medicine in interventional pulmonology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He returned to Chicago to join Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group as the medical director of Interventional Pulmonology.

Locations

To learn more or to schedule an appointment, please call Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group today.