BRONCHIAL ARTERY EMBOLIZATION FOR HEMOPTYSIS : EXPERIENCEIN SRINAGARIND HOSPITAL, KHON KAEN UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study was to report our experience with bronchial angiography and bronchial embolization.

Materials and Methods: A retrospectively reviewed medical record and imagings of 32 patients presented with moderated to severe hemoptysis who underwent to bronchial angiography and embolization at Srinagarind hospital Khon Kaen University from 1999 to 2002.

Results: The majority of the etiologies of hemoptysis in our series were tuberculous bronchiectasis (14 patients), pulmonary tuberculosis (9 patients) and nontuberculous bronchiectasis (6 patients). The findings of angiography included hypervascularity in 100% (32 of 32), bronchial artery hypertrophy and tortuousity in 59.3% (19 of 32), parenchymatous staining in 75.0% (24 of 32), pseudoaneurysm formation in 9.3% (3 of 32), bronchial to pulmonary artery communication in 6.2% (2 of 32) and extravasation of contrast medium into bronchial lumen in 3.3% (1 of 32). We achieved an overall success rate of 87.5% (28 of 32), in immediately control of hemoptysis and technical success rate of 98.87% (31 of 32). Recurrent rate of hemoptysis was 9.4% (3 of 32) within 1 month and 9.4% (3 of 32) in more than 1 month.

The complications of bronchial embolization in our series included subintimal dissection in one patient and chest pain during the embolization procedure in two patients.

Conclusion: Bronchial embolization is an effective and safe procedure to control hemoptysis, particularly in emergency control of hemoptysis which caused by benign diseases. Bronchial embolization may help to avoid surgery in patients who are not good surgical candidates.