Silver nitrate in interventional pulmonology: treating a case of persistent bronchopleural fistula

Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is a communication between the pleural space and the bronchial tree. A BPF occurs when an injured bronchus fails to heal; the condition is associated with high morbidity. The treatment of persistent BPF includes various surgical procedures. Conventional surgical strategies such as thoracoplasty or chest wall fenestration carry significant mortality and long-term morbidity with pain and deformity. Reducing the morbidity of therapy with a minimal access approach is, therefore, appealing. In recent years, bronchoscopic management of BPF in terms of recognizing the site of fistula and blocking the leaking segment with many agents available has attained success and has been considered an established mode of management. The use of silver nitrate in treatment of BPF has staged a comeback, offering very good results.