title: Iatrogenic air leak successfully treated by bronchoscopic placement of unidirectional endobronchial valves.
abstract: This report describes a patient with persistent air leak after inadvertent placement of a chest drain in a bulla. Chest drain and suction failed to stop the air leak, whereas the surgical repair was judged to be excessively aggressive. In closure, two large endobronchial valves were sequentially positioned in the superior and inferior division of the left upper lobe to completely close it. The result was the collapse of bulla with closure of fistula and complete lung expansion.
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Unit, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy. mario.santini@unina2.it
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santini
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fiorelli
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vicidomini
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Laperuta
authors.forename: Vincenzo Giuseppe
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Di Crescenzo
mesh_terms: D000388:Air; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013510:Pulmonary Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012074:Remission Induction