We offer a diagnostic and managment service which will include taking your history, performing a clinical examination and testing your lung volumes using spirometry. We may refer you for further imaging such as a CT scan or detailed breathing tests. We will then recommend management of your symptom which might include pharmacologic treatment or referral to an allied health professional such as a physio or speech language therapist.

There are many different types of airways disease including asthma, COPD and bronchiectasis. We will confirm the diagnosis using your story, clinical examination, spirometry and imaging. We might want further blood and sputum tests. The management of airways disease comprises inhaled and sometimes oral medication, together with phsyiotherapy, rehabilitation and avoidance of airway irritants such as allergens or cigarette smoke. We provide advice about healthy nutrition, smoking cessation, vaccination and exercise. For more information go to https://learnaboutlungs.asthmaandrespiratory.org.nz

You may be referred because of a CXR or CT finding of suspected lung cancer, or you may have coughed blood. The first thing we do is establish if you actually have cancer or not. There are several different types of lung cancer and it is important to determine which one you might have. This is done using CT scan and biopsy of the abnormality identified using bronchoscopy or percutaneous CT guided biopsy. We will also assess your lung capacity with more specialised breathing tests. It may also be necessary to stage your lung cancer using a more sophisticated CT PET. Once the type of cancer is known we will discuss your case at a multidisciplinary meeting so that we can make a recommendation to you about the best care pathway. That might include surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. You will then be referred to the relevant specialist who will take over your care. Sometimes there are subtle abnormalities on CT scan that are described as nodules. Sometimes those nodules become lung cancer over time and others simply disappear. Unless they grow or develop a solid appearance we generally keep an eye on them using low dose CT scans at periodic intervals. We oversee the surveilance of pulmonary nodules in this setting. For more information about lung cancer see www.cancernz.org.nz

We have a special interest in all types of ILD including pulmonary fibrosis, ILD associated with connective tissue disease sich as rheumatoid arthritis or scleroderma, and drug induced ILD. We also see patients with rare lung diseases. Patients from across New Zealand access this service. We confirm the diagnosis of ILD using CT patterns and sometimes lung biopsy. There are over 200 types of ILD and sometimes we need to discuss your case at a regional or international meeting of experts. We provide guideline based pharmacologic management and offer opportunities to participate in clinical trials of new drugs. With connective tissue disease ILD we will work in partnership with your rheumatologist or immunologist. We may refer you to physio or rehab therapy, or other allied health professionals for support managing your disease.

Sarcoidosis is an uncommon inflammatory disease that can affect any organ in the body but most commonly the lungs. We see patients with pulmonary and non-pulmonary disease and often work in a team with other specialists. We will confirm the diagnosis using CT scan and biopsy of relevant tissue if necessary. Then we consider if treatment is necessary or whether surveillance will suffice. Many patients never require treatment but they will need ongoing followup, usually for a number of years.

We provide an assessment of the likelihood of obstructive sleep apnoea in patients who snore and complain of daytime sleepiness. We will take your history, provide an examination and may refer you for a sleep study. Once the result of the study is available we will make recommendations about treatment with CPAP therapy or other options. We do not provide an insomnia service.

We provide an assessment service for New Zealand Immigration and you will be referred to us if you have an abnormal CXR. It is very helpful if we can have a copy of the image, and if not then a copy of the report. Depending on your history, our examination and your CXR appearance, we might recommend further testing such as induced sputum testing to exclude tuberculosis. That test is performed at Greenlane Clinical Centre and the results will take a further 6 weeks so you need to allow time for that in your immigration processes. A copy of the results is provided to you as well as your referring doctor. Please ensure that you bring your passport and NZ Immigration client number to the appointment.