Objective To explore the diagnosis and treatment of airway involvement in relapsing polychondritis. Methods The clinical data of two patients with relapsing polychondritis with airway involvement were reported and the relative literatures were reviewed. Results The two patients were both old males, with clinical manifestations of cough, dyspnea, and fever. They were misdiagnosed in a other hospital. The pulmonary function tests showed obstructive ventilatory impairemnt. On inspiratory CT, tracheal / tracheobronchial wall thickening and airway stenosis, with or without tracheal cartilage calcification were common findings. The tracheal cartilages thickeness and membranous wall were normal. On expiratory CT scans, functional abnormalities were identified such as tracheobronchomalacia. The patients were relieved by medication of corticosteroids or with immunodepressant. Conclusions The relapsing polychondritis with airway involvement is easy to be misdiagnosed. Chest CT examination is a valuable method for diagnosis of relapsing polychondritis. Corticosteroids and immunodepressant can improve the outcome.
Objective To study the incidence and etiological distribution of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) after airway metal stent implantation in patients with malignant central airway obstruction (MCAO). Methods The clinical data of 149 patients with MCAO who underwent airway metal stent implantation in Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine of Hunan Provincial People's Hospital from April 2014 to April 2021 were selected for a retrospective study. The incidence of LRTI after treatment was counted. According to whether LRTI occurred after operation, they were divided into infected group and uninfected group. The clinical data of the two groups were compared and the influencing factors of LRTI were analyzed. Sputum samples and/or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples from patients infected with LRTI were collected for pathogen detection and drug susceptibility test, and the distribution and drug resistance of main pathogens were analyzed. Results A total of 149 patients who met the criteria were included in this study and the incidence of LRTI was 21.48%. People in the infected group was older than that in the uninfected one, and the proportion of people with a history of smoking, chemoradiotherapy, covered metal stents, and stent-related granulation tissue proliferation was higher, and the proportion of people with postoperative standardized aerosol inhalation was lower (P<0.05). Age, smoking history, chemoradiotherapy, covered metal stents, stent-related granulation tissue hyperplasia and postoperative standardized aerosol inhalation were all influencing factors of LRTI in these patients (P<0.05). A total of 38 pathogens were detected in 32 patients with LRTI. Gram negative bacteria, gram positive bacteria and fungi accounted for 68.42% (26/38), 21.05% (8/38) and 10.53% (4/38) respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the main Gram-negative bacteria, had no resistance to tobramycin, gentamicin and amikacin, but had high resistance to compound sulfamethoxazole, tigecycline and ampicillin; Klebsiella pneumoniae had low resistance to tobramycin, amikacin and tigecycline, and high resistance to cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin and cefepime; the main Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus had no drug resistance to vancomycin, linezolid, compound sulfamethoxazole and quinuptin/dafuptin, but had high drug resistance to tetracycline, penicillin G, levofloxacin, oxacillin and ciprofloxacin; the main fungi Candida albicans showed no resistance to fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, 5-fluorocytosine and amphotericin B. These results of pathogenic detection and drug susceptibility test contributed to the improvement of the rational application rate of antibiotics. Conclusions LRTI occurs in about a quarter of patients with MCAO after airway metal stent implantation. The pathogens are mainly Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrobial treatment should be based on the results of etiological detection and drug susceptibility test.
Objective To investigate the indications, procedures, risks and efficacy of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in bronchoscopic interventional surgery for patients with severe airway stenosis. Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on 6 patients with severe airway stenosis treated by bronchoscopic surgery under ECMO in West China Hospital from January 2018 to July 2021, and the experience of application was summarized in combination with 23 relevant literatures retrieved. Results Six patients on ECMO successfully completed bronchoscopic interventional surgery with satisfactory intraoperative oxygenation and no obvious hemostasis difficulties were observed. ECMO placement was as an emergency medical countermeasure in 3 patients while the other 3 patients were as preventive purpose. Following treatment, the shortness of breath index and mMRC score decreased and the patients were cured and discharged. During hospitalization, 3 patients had lower extremity deep vein thrombosis, and 1 patient with lower extremity swelling and pain, which was relieved after treatment with low molecular weight heparin. During discharge follow-up, 1 patient died due to airway stenosis, pulmonary infection, and subarachnoid hemorrhage secondary to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, while the other 5 patients did not show any worsening of dyspnea. Combined with the retrieval of 46 similar cases reported in the literature before 2020, it was concluded that these patients who met the application indications of ECMO and followed the shutdown procedure had a good prognosis and controllable risk. Conclusions ECMO can ensure the safety of patients with severe airway stenosis who need undergoing bronchoscopic interventional surgery for patients, improve the success rate of the operation and do not significantly increase the risk of bleeding. However, ECMO is difficult to operate and requires professional team management. Therefore, it is essential to master the indications of application, implement strict withdrawal procedures and necessary monitoring to improve the patient's cure rate and reduce the occurrence of adverse events.
Objective To evaluate the application value of spiral CT virtual endoscopy and three dimensional imaging in fiberoptic bronchoscopic balloon dilation in patients with benign tracheobronchial stenosis. Methods Thirty-three cases of benign tracheobronchial stenosis from June 2004 to November 2008 were checked by spiral CT with airway tracheobronchial reconstruction. For the patients with indications, balloon dilatation was performed under fiberoptic bronchoscope. The three-dimensional reconstruction images were compared with the findings under bronchoscopy. And the preoperative and postoperative three-dimensional reconstruction images were compared for airway diameter. Results Three cases were found stenosis of middle lobe by CT virtual endoscopy and did not undergo balloon dilatation. The remaining 30 cases were confirmed by bronchoscopy findings similar to the images by tracheobronchial reconstruction with CT, with consistent rate of 100% . Immediate postoperative three-dimensional CTreconstruction of tracheal bronchus revealed that diameter of stenotic bronchus increased from ( 2. 7 ±1. 3) mm to ( 6. 9 ±1. 6) mmafter operation. Conclusion Multislice spiral CT virtual endoscopy is helpful in fiberoptic bronchoscopic balloon dilation in patients with benign tracheobronchial stenosis and postoperative follow-up.
Objective To analyze the influencing factors of short-term curative effect and long-term survival time of patients with tumor-induced malignant central airway obstruction (MCAO) after airway stent implantation. Methods A total of 120 patients with tumor-induced MCAO who underwent airway stent implantation in the hospital from January 2017 to June 2019 were enrolled. According to the cause of stenosis, the patients were divided into two groups: external pressure stenosis group (n=72) and non-external pressure stenosis group (n=48). The general data such as types and staging of tumor, differentiation degree, sites of airway obstruction, obstruction degree and preoperative level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Before and at 7d after stent implantation, partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) and saturation of arterial blood oxygen (SaO2) were detected. Before and at 1 month after stent implantation, diameter at airway obstruction segment, degree of airway obstruction and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) were detected. Dyspnea index (DI) and scores of Karnofsky performance status (KPS) were evaluated. The survival status at 1 year after surgery was followed up. The survival at 1 year after surgery was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier. The influencing factors of survival after stent implantation were analyzed by COX proportional hazard regression analysis. Results After stent implantation, PaO2, SaO2, diameter at airway obstruction segment, FEV1 and KPS score were significantly increased (P<0.05), while PaCO2, degree of airway obstruction and DI were significantly decreased in external pressure stenosis group and non-external pressure stenosis group (P<0.05). After stent implantation, the KPS score was significantly higher in external pressure stenosis group than that in non-external pressure stenosis group, and the shortness of breath index was significantly lower than that in non-external pressure stenosis group (P<0.05). The survival rate of patients with external pressure stenosis group was 29.17%, and the median survival time was 7.35 months, the survival rate and median survival time in non-external pressure stenosis group was 22.92%, and the median survival time was 6.10 months, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (log-rank χ2=1.542, P=0.214). COX proportional hazard regression analysis showed that tumor staging at stage IV (OR=2.056, P=0.020), preoperative KPS score lower than 50 points (OR=2.002, P=0.027) and no postoperative chemoradiotherapy (OR=4.292, P=0.039) were independent influencing factors of 1-year survival time after stent implantation in MCAO patients. Conclusions The clinical curative effect of airway stent implantation is good on patients with tumor-induced MCAO. Tumor staging at stage IV, preoperative KPS score lower than 50 points and no postoperative chemoradiotherapy are risk factors that affect survival time.
Objective To improve the knowledge on dynamic benign central airway stenosis through two typical cases. Methods The clinical features, imaging findings, and bronchial morphologic changes of two cases characterized by dynamic benign central airway stenosis were retrospectively analyzed. The etiologies for the two cases were tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) and excessive dynamic airway collapse (EDAC), respectively. Results Central airway stenosis and reversible airway obstruction were common clinical characteristics for the two cases. However, there were identifiable differences on imaging findings and bronchial morphologic changes between the two cases. Multidetector computed tomography showed sabre-sheath trachea and narrowed trachea in coronal position for TBM, while small sized trachea in exhalation phase and narrowed trachea in sagittal position for EDAC. Bronchoscopy displayed narrowed airway, swelling mucosa, and the absence of annular cartilage for TBM, while crescent airway with membranacea part protruding to lumen in inspiration phase, and the integrity of annular cartilage for EDAC. Conclusion Multidetector computed tomography and bronchoscopy examinations are valid methods to distinguish TBM and EDAC, which are both characterized by dynamic benign central airway stenosis.