1. Bronchopleural fistula after radiofrequency ablation of lung tumours
- Author
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François Cornelis, Mathieu Cannella, Hugues Castagnede, Thibault Carteret, Stéphane Ferron, Jean Palussière, and Edouard Descat
- Subjects
Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Lung Neoplasms ,Adolescent ,Fistula ,Radiofrequency ablation ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Bronchopleural fistula ,Bone Neoplasms ,Adenocarcinoma ,law.invention ,Postoperative Complications ,law ,Recurrence ,medicine ,Humans ,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging ,Bronchus ,Osteosarcoma ,Lung ,business.industry ,Ultrasound ,Pneumothorax ,respiratory system ,Middle Aged ,Pleural Diseases ,medicine.disease ,Ablation ,respiratory tract diseases ,Chest tube ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Chest Tubes ,Catheter Ablation ,Female ,Radiology ,Bronchial Fistula ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business ,Colorectal Neoplasms ,Tomography, X-Ray Computed - Abstract
The present article describes two cases of bronchopleural fistula (BPF) occurring after radiofrequency ablation of lung tumors. Both procedures were carried out using expandable multitined electrodes, with no coagulation of the needle track. After both ablations, ground-glass opacities encompassed the nodules and abutted the visceral pleura. The first patient had a delayed pneumothorax, and the second had a recurrent pneumothorax. Both cases of BPF were diagnosed on follow-up computed tomography chest scans (i.e., visibility of a distinct channel between the lung or a peripheral bronchus and the pleura) and were successfully treated with chest tubes alone. Our goal is to highlight the fact that BPF can occur without needle-track coagulation and to suggest that minimally invasive treatment is sufficient to cure BPFs of this specific origin.
- Published
- 2009