title: Cryosurgery for the immediate treatment of acute central airway obstruction.
abstract: Central airway obstruction commonly occurs in thoracic malignancies. Treatment is usually palliative but may be significantly challenging. Several endoscopic interventions are available to establish airway patency; however, their use is sometimes limited by certain factors like availability and high oxygen requirement. Cryosurgery has been established as a safe and effective technique for treatment of malignant airway obstruction, but its use has been limited to being adjunctive to other modalities and to low-grade stenosis. This is mainly due to the delayed effect and inability to achieve immediate airway patency. We report the successful use of this technique as stand-alone modality in a tracheal tumor with severe obstruction leading to acute respiratory failure. Immediate recanalization was achieved resulting in rapid resolution of symptoms.
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ 08103, USA. boujaoude-ziad@cooperhealth.edu
authors: Ziad
authors: Z
authors: Boujaoude
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Young
authors: Ramya
authors: R
authors: Lotano
authors: Wissam
authors: W
authors: Abouzgheib
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000150:complications; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D014134:Tracheal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D016896:Treatment Outcome