title: Endobronchial ultrasonography in the diagnosis and treatment of relapsing polychondritis with tracheobronchial malacia.
abstract: Relapsing polychondritis (RP) with tracheobronchial involvement has a poor prognosis, and a delay in diagnosis increases morbidity and mortality; however, the diagnosis is difficult to make. Endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) revealed changes in the tracheobronchial cartilage in two patients who met the criteria for RP, and facilitated the diagnosis. In these cases, EBUS revealed a poorly defined bronchial wall structure with two patterns of cartilaginous damage: fragmentation and edema. These cases were successfully treated by the implantation of nitinol stents, the sizes of which were determined by EBUS. EBUS was found to be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of RP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Hiroshima City Hospital, 7-33 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-0011, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyazu
authors.forename: Teruomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyazawa
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kurimoto
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwamoto
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanoh
authors.forename: Nobuoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kohno
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000497:Alloys; D019160:Endosonography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011081:Polychondritis, Relapsing / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D015607:Stents
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; C013616:nitinol