BRONCHIAL ARTERY EMBOLIZATION FOR TREATMENT OF HEMOPTYSIS

Bronchial arterial angiographies and embolizations were performed in 23 patients with massive or recurrent hemoptysis which could not be controlled by medical methods. The etiologies of these patients included tuberculosis (13 cases), bronchiectasis (6 cases), aspergillosis (2 cases) and pneumoconiosis complicated with tuberculosis (2 cases). The bronchial angiographies revealed vascularity which was mild in 3 (13%), moderate 7 (30%) and marked (57%) of our patients. The bronchopulmonary shunts were recognized in 12 of them (52%). Following the embolization, control of hemoptysis was achieved in 18 patients (78%). Five patients (22%) did not respond to embolization and 3 of them went on for surgery. Recurrence of bleeding was noted in 2 of 18 patients (11%) in 1 to 30 months of follow up. Complications of embolization included chest pain (3 cases), fever (2 cases) epigastric pain (2 cases) and another having abdominal pain with diarrhea.