title: Tracheobronchial stenosis following sulfur mustard inhalation.
abstract: Sulfur mustard inhalation leads to different respiratory complications. In this article, we describe late stenotic effects of mustard gas inhalation on major airways. About 15 yr after exposure, suspect cases suffering from severe respiratory disorders underwent complete workup for central airway stenosis. Patients were evaluated with bronchoscopy and tracheal computerized tomography scan. The mean age of patients was 43+/-8 yr. The mean exposure time was 16+/-0.7 yr. The mean time between injury and diagnosis of tracheobronchial stenosis was 11.7+/-4.8 yr. Among the 33 referred cases with no other risk factor of stenosis, 8 cases had significant stenosis in their major airways, confirmed by tracheal computerized tomography scan and bronchoscopy. We conclude that direct toxic effects of sulfur mustard can lead to tracheobronchial stenosis with different degrees of involvement ranging from diffuse tracheal stenosis to stenosis of the isolated left main bronchus or glottic and subglottic stenosis.
authors.affiliation: Baqiyatallah Medical Sciences University, Research Center of Chemical Injuries, Tehran, Iran. m.ghanei@bmsu.ac.ir
authors.forename: Mostafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghanei
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akhlaghpoor
authors.forename: Mehdi Mir
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Moahammad
authors.forename: Jafar
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aslani
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000328:Adult; D001980:Bronchi / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries; D001982:Bronchial Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009151:Mustard Gas / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018579:Patient Selection; D013997:Time Factors; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents; D009151:Mustard Gas