• Y J Ryu, H Kim, C M Yu, J C Choi, Y S Kwon, and O J Kwon.
• Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Dept of Internal Medicine, Dongdaemun Hospital, Ewha Womans University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• Eur. Respir. J. 2006 Nov 1;28(5):1029-35.

AbstractThe role of bronchoscopic management in post-tuberculosis tracheobronchial stenosis is not well defined. To investigate the role of bronchoscopic intervention, including silicone stenting, in the management of post-tuberculosis tracheobronchial stenosis, the current retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary referral hospital. Under rigid bronchoscopy, 80 patients underwent ballooning, neodymium-yttrium aluminium garnet laser resection and/or bougienation as first-line methods of airway dilatation between January 2000 and December 2003 inclusive, and were followed for a median of 41 months. Silicone stents were required in 75 out of 80 (94%) patients to maintain airway patency. Bronchoscopic intervention provided immediate symptomatic relief and improved lung function in 88% of the patients. After airway stabilisation, stents were removed successfully in 49 out of 75 (65%) patients at a median of 14 months post-insertion. Three patients out of 75 (4%) eventually underwent surgical management. Acute complications included: excessive bleeding (n = 1); pneumothorax (n = 5); and pneumomediastinum without mortality (n = 2). Stent-related late complications, such as migration (51%), granuloma formation (49%), mucostasis (19%) and re-stenosis (40%), were controllable during a median follow-up of 41 months. In conclusion, bronchoscopic intervention, including silicone stenting, could be a useful and safe method for treating post-tuberculosis tracheobronchial stenosis.

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