Acquired symptomatic bronchial stenosis in infants: successful management using an argon laser

Acquired bronchial stenosis following prolonged endotracheal intubation is uncommon, but in infants it is associated with significant morbidity. A variety of endobronchial techniques including forceps or cautery resection and balloon dilatation have been used with inconsistent results. Laser therapy seems attractive, but pediatric applications have been very limited. We report the first series of infants with life-threatening acquired bronchial stenosis treated with an argon laser. Eight infants, age 3 weeks to 2 years, presented with symptomatic bronchial obstruction following prolonged intubation. Seven of these patients had at least 90% obstruction of a lobar or mainstem bronchus. Under general anesthesia a 300 or 600 micron quartz laser fiber was passed through the suction channel of a 3.5-mm flexible or 3-mm rigid bronchoscope. The laser was operated at 2.5 to 3.5 W in 0.5-second pulses, to ablate the obstructing tissue. Multiple procedures, spaced no closer than 10 days, were required in three of eight infants. Follow-up bronchoscopy after 2 to 30 months revealed normal findings in five of eight infants. All but one child, who has persistent collapse of the bronchus intermedius due to bronchomalacia at the site of the obstruction, had satisfactory results. The only complication was a pneumothorax in a 1,300 g infant, which developed eight hours after treatment. Our experience suggests that the argon laser is effective in the management of endobronchial lesions in infants and is superior to the CO2 and Neo-dymium-yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd-YAG) lasers for this purpose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)