Acquired benign tracheo­oesophageal fistula secondary to oesophageal stenting for post lye ingestion stenosis: A case report.

Acquired benign trachea-oesophageal fistula is a rare benign pathological entity with varying aetiologies that most often occurs post-intubation. This case report presents the case of a female patient, 31 years old, admitted to the emergency room with sepsis syndrome following bilateral aspiration pneumonia caused by a large trachea-oesophageal fistula. The fistula was the result of intra-tracheal migration of an oesophageal stent placed for post lye ingestion stenosis. Esophageal diversion and partial resection with oesophageal patch to repair the tracheal defect, under general anaesthesia with ventilation using rigid bronchoscopy and high frequency jet ventilation (HFJV), followed at a later date by esophageal replacement with colic graft were the procedures performed with a view to curing the patient. In conclusion, complex cases always require a tailored approach. It is important to note that HFJV may be applied for a longer period of time and the oesophagus can be used as patch for the posterior tracheal wall in selected cases. Staged surgery is also an option when the patients' poor health status does not permit major surgery.

Postintubation Tracheoesophageal Fistula - Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis.

Introduction: Postintubation tracheoesophageal fistula is a severe complication occurring under certain conditions in patients that require prolonged mechanical ventilation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This article focuses on a sample of 11 patients with postintubation tracheoesophageal fistula, operated in our department between 2005 and 2015. The anterior approach with tracheal resection was performed in 10 of these patients, while an atypical surgical technique was preferred in a case involving a large-sized fistula. Three of these patients were subject to surgery while still on the ventilator, in order to help weaning them from mechanical ventilation. Two patients were operated following a relapse of the fistula, after attempts of closing it in other surgical units. Results: Two patients (of those who were still on mechanical ventilation) died from intubation-related complications that persisted after tracheal resection (anastomotic dehiscence with mediastinitis and tracheoarterial fistula in the brachiocephalic arterial trunk). The nine remaining patients improved, with their airways restored and having regained normal deglutition. Conclusions: The surgical approach of this pathology is successful in surgical units that are specialised in tracheal and oesophageal surgery. Adequately timing the surgery is crucial for a good outcome.

[The Montgomery tracheal prosthesis: actual solution for tracheal stenosis]. / Proteza traheala Montgomery: solutie de actualitate pentru stenozele traheale.

Tracheal stenosis is a disorder which is very difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Most cases are reffered to the hospital with an obstruction of at least 50% of the tracheal lumen, when dyspnea is already symptomatic. The cases with obstructive phenomena of over 70% represent immediately endoscopic emergencies, due to the risk of decompensation by adding the obstruction secondary to tracheo-bronchial secretions and bleeding. Initial management of a compromised central airway by endoscopic technique allows to obtain optimal conditions for the curative treatment. The main cause is malignancy and the for treatment are used endoscopic techniques with palliative visa. After restoring the permeability of the affected airways, stenting is mandatory to keep them open. Among the first stents invented, there was Montgomery type in 1965. Besides the silicon stent, there are the newest type, metallic or hybrid, which try to compensate disadvantages of silicone type, but with significant financial costs. Though Montgomery stent appeared more than 50 years ago, they are still used with good results, with clear advantages, especially in low incomes public health systems. The paper presents technical data, indications, advantages, disadvantages and techniques for effective placement. It also presents a well-documented clinical case of effective placement of a tracheal stent, with video-documentation of the whole procedure performed by a mix team: endoscopist and surgeon.

[Iatrogenic tracheal stenosis in patients with COPD: a medico-surgical challenge]. / Stenoza traheala iatrogena la pacientul cu BPOC: o provocare medico-chirurgicala.

This study analyzes a series of iatrogenic tracheal stenosis occurring in patients with COPD exacerbation which required oro-tracheal intubation. The tracheal stenosis occurred on average after 24 days of intubation and were clinically severe. Treatment algorithm first included bronchoscopic interventional techniques with an immediate success rate of 37%, but the results were unstable in time, requiring tracheal stenting. The surgical approach, which generally is the first choice in the treatment of tracheal stenosis, had discouraging results in these patients, with a low rate of success (20%) and an increased incidence of restenosis. The only solution for those postoperative complications was, again, interventional bronchoscopy. In conclusion, while for various other etiologies of tracheal stenosis the surgical resection is the first choice of treatment, in COPD patients interventional bronchoscopy often remains the only way of solving.

Unilateral pulmonary hilar tumor mass: is it always lung cancer?

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, characterized by noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas. In sarcoidosis, the most common radiological findings are mediastinal and bilateral hilar lymph node enlargement. We present a case of sarcoidosis with a rare radiological aspect of pulmonary hilar tumor mass.A 54-year-old female patient, active smoker (40 packs/year), with a history of cutaneous lupus, was admitted in our institute for progressive dyspnea and dry cough. At admission physical examination and laboratory tests were normal. Pulmonary function tests diagnosed an obstructive syndrome. Chest X-ray showed a tumor mass of the right pulmonary hilum. Transbronchial biopsy was nondiagnostic. HRCT-scan showed a tumor mass in the right hilum, which raised the suspicion of a lung cancer. PET-CT scan revealed a high metabolic activity of the tumor mass and of a paratracheal right lymphadenopathy. Lymph node biopsy by mediastinoscopy showed noncaseating epithelioid-cell granulomas, sustaining the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. The outcome was favorable, with spontaneous remission without treatment, but with a relapse that responded after systemic corticotherapy.In conclusion, even if a tumor mass in the pulmonary hilum is highly suggestive of lung cancer, a positive diagnosis should be made only after histological examination, because other benign conditions, like sarcoidosis, could have such an aspect.

A rare case of lung tumor -- pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumor.

Pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumor (PIP) is a rare condition of unknown etiology. It is still a matter of debate if it represents an inflammatory lesion characterized by uncontrolled cell growth or a true neoplasm. Although mostly benign, these tumors are diagnosis and therapeutic challenges. Preoperative diagnosis can rarely be established. The treatment of choice is surgical resection which has both diagnostic and therapeutic value. We report the case of a 63-year-old male presented with clinical and imagistic picture suggestive of malignancy in the thorax. Lobectomy was performed with histological diagnosis of PIP. No evidence of tumor recurrence.

The bronchoalveolar lavage pattern in radiation pneumonitis secondary to radiotherapy for breast cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Radiotherapy in breast cancer patients is limited by lung tissue tolerance. Two complications involving the lung are known: radiation pneumonitis (RP) and radiation fibrosis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the pattern of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in patients with RP after radiotherapy for breast cancer in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-five female patients (mean age 58.3 yrs) with RP after radiotherapy for breast cancer were included in the study. The majority of patients had previous breast surgery (mastectomy or lumpectomy and axillary dissection) and received doses of radiations of 45-50Gy. All patients had adjuvant chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, 5-fluorouracil, and epirubicin or methotrexate. RESULTS: All patients had an infiltrate or consolidation on chest radiography confined to the upper lobe of the irradiated lung, as marker of RP. Based on the presence or absence of symptoms, we divided the patients in 2 groups: 49 patients (75.4%) with symptomatic RP (fever, cough, dyspnea, chest pain and fatigue) and 16 patients (24.6%) without any symptom. Symptomatic RP patients had a BAL with significant increase in total cells (18.0±12.2 x10(6) cells•100mL-1) when compared to BAL in asymptomatic patients (11.9±6.2 x10(6) cells•100mL-1), p=0.01. Lymphocytosis in BAL was significantly increased in symptomatic group, compared with asymptomatic one (35.4±18.7% vs. 26.1±14.3%, p=0.045), with predominance of T lymphocytes (CD3). It was also a predominance of CD4 lymphocytes in all patients, but the CD4/CD8 ratio was inside normal range in the majority of cases. Five patients had clinical features of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) secondary to irradiation with increased percentages of lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and mast cells in BAL and one patient without history of atopic disease had a percentage of 40% eosinophils. Only a mild reduction in diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide was seen in both groups on pulmonary function tests. The lung volumes were normal in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Lymphocytic alveolitis was the marker of radiation pneumonitis in all patients. The degree of the inflammatory reaction of the lungs was correlated with the presence of symptoms. The lymphocytic alveolitis consisted mainly of T lymphocytes, with a predominance of CD4 subset in both groups, but the CD4/CD8 ratio remained mostly into normal range.

[Practical issues of transbronchial lung biopsy (TLB) in pneumology]. / Biopsia pulmonara transbronsica--repere practice.

METHOD: We present a survey of 78 TLB which have been performed in Bronchology Service (during 2003-2005) for diffuse interstitial lung diseases--70 cases or located diseases--8 cases; TLB was not performed for solitary peripherally opacities because we have no radiological device with mobile arm (for good position of forceps). RESULTS: In 78% of cases we obtained illustrative lung tissue and in 22% of cases we prelevated just bronchial wall. Histological confirmation was obtained for 53% of cases; 47% of cases have as result lung tissue without significant modifications. Histological diagnosis was obtain in 41% of cases. The diagnosis of lung pathology was: diffuse lung fibrosis, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis stage II-III, malignant lymphoma, carcinomatosis, undifferentiated carcinoma, bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, squamous carcinoma, adenocarcinoma. There were 5 cases (6%) of small pneumothorax with spontaneous resorption and 11 cases with small bleeding (5-10 ml) who stopped spontaneously or at local administration of xilometasolin or oximetasolin. No other incidents were registered. CONCLUSIONS: TLB is a good alternative of surgical biopsy. The international guidelines request that the TLB has to be made before the thoracoscopy or the thoracotomy; because of the small size of prelevated fragments the diagnosis sensibility is variable. Our results for the 78 cases are comparable with the international data from literature both from the point of view of the diagnosis and the complications.

[Left bronchial resection with bronchial anastomosis in a patient with posttraumatic bronchial stenosis]. / Rezectia bronsica stânga cu bronhoanastomoza la un pacient cu stenoza bronsica posttraumatica.

We present the case of a 25 year old patient, who suffered a car accident two month before he came to our hospital. At that moment, he had multiple costal fractures and left haemothorax, resolved by surgical means. At the actual presentation: dullness in the inferior half of left hemithorax, abolished breath sounds at this level. Radiologic--left lung atelectasis, bronchoscopic examination revealed--complete stenosis of the main left bronchus, while computer tomography has shown complete obstruction of the main left bronchus, at 1.7-2 cm from the carina. Fibrosis after posttraumatic bronchial disruption was the cause of the stenosis. Surgical treatment was the choice, with segmental resection of the main left bronchus and reanastomosis; the permeability was maintained on a month after the surgical intervention.