title: Fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation for benign bronchial stricture occurring after radiotherapy in patients with lung cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the safety and clinical effectiveness of fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation in patients with benign bronchial stricture occurring after radiotherapy (RT).
  
  
  METHODS
  From March 2002 to January 2013, ten patients with benign bronchial stricture occurring after RT underwent fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation as their initial treatment. Technical success, primary and secondary clinical success, improvement in respiratory status, and complications were evaluated. The symptomatic improvement period was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 15 balloon dilation sessions were performed in ten patients, with a range of 1-4 sessions per patient (mean 1.5 sessions). Technical success was achieved in 100 %. Six of the ten patients exhibited no symptom recurrence and required no further treatment until the end of follow-up (range 4-105 months). Four patients (40 %) experienced recurrent symptom, and two of four patients underwent repeat balloon dilations. The remaining two patients underwent cutting balloon dilation and temporary stent placement, respectively, and they exhibited symptom improvement after adjuvant treatment until the end of our study. Finally, primary clinical success was achieved in six of ten patients (60 %) and secondary clinical success was achieved in eight of ten patients (80 %). The mean symptom improvement period was 61.9 ± 16 months (95 % confidence interval 30.6-93.3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation seems to be safe and clinically effective for the treatment of RT-induced benign bronchial stricture. Temporary stent placement or cutting balloon dilation could be considered in patients with benign bronchial strictures resistant to fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 388-1, Poongnap 2-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 138-736, Republic of Korea, cjsakura@naver.com.
authors.forename: Young Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jin Hyoung
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jung-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Ji Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Heung Kyu
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Ho-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001982:Bronchial Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D004106:Dilatation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015641:Radiography, Interventional; D019233:Retreatment; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome