Results of interventional bronchoscopy in the management of postoperative tracheobronchial stenosis

Objectives: To investigate the role of bronchoscopic intervention in the management of postoperative tracheobronchial stenosis, a retrospective study was performed at a tertiary referral hospital. Methods: Thirty patients who underwent 106 bronchoscopic interventions between January 2000 and July 2010, including ballooning, bouginage, Nd:YAG laser resection, and stent insertion, were included and followed up for a median of 34 months. Results: Silicone stents were required in 19 of 30 patients (63%) to maintain airway patency. Bronchoscopic intervention provided improvement of dyspnea in 97% of the patients. After airway stabilization, the stents were removed successfully in 7 of 19 patients (37%) a median of 7 months after insertion. In 3 patients (10%), the intervention failed to widen the airway. There were no procedure-related deaths or cases of pneumonia, although additional interventions were needed in 9 patients (30%) within 30 days. Stent-related late complications (70%), such as restenosis (43%), overgrowth of granulation tissue (33%), stent migration (32%), mucostasis (30%), and malacia after stent removal (16%), were controllable at follow-up bronchoscopy. Conclusions: Bronchoscopic intervention could be a useful treatment modality for patients with postoperative tracheobronchial stenosis when surgery is not feasible.