Use of bronchoscopic CO2 laser in palliation of obstruction tracheobronchial malignancy

A review of 15 patients, who underwent 34 CO2 laser bronchoscopic procedures, over a 2-year period, is presented. All had malignancies of the tracheobronchial tree and underwent laser surgery to palliate breathlessness or haemoptysis. Partially obstructing and more proximal tumours proved more easily manageable. One quarter of the patients required repeat procedures and there were two deaths in the early post-operative period. The indications for such surgery, the technique and its limitations, and the palliation obtained are discussed.