[Flexible bronchoscopic intervention for endobronchial hamartoma]

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of interventional treatment in the removal of endobronchial hamartoma by flexible bronchoscopy.

A retrospective analysis was conducted in 8 inpatients with histologically confirmed endobronchial hamartoma , diagnosed between May 2009 to January 2012 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. The clinical, radiological and bronchoscopic features of hamartoma, and the clinical outcomes after bronchoscopic intervention were described. The endoscopic interventional treatments included resection by electrosurgical snare, electrocautery, argon plasma coagulation (APC) and cryotherapy. Thoracic computed tomography(CT)and bronchoscopy were used to evaluate the airway stenosis during follow-up.

The 8 patients, 7 males and 1 female, aged (62 ± 8) years, underwent 13 times of interventional treatment for endobronchial hamartoma. Four patients were cured after receiving a single endoscopic treatment, while 3 patients had recurrence after initial interventional treatment but were cured after the second treatment. Three times of interventional treatment was carried out in 1 patient who had two relapses but later became stable with a 40% stenosis of the airway lumen. The rates of cure and effectiveness were 87.5% and 100%, respectively. Following interventional treatment, pneumothorax occurred in 1 patient who was cured after oxygen therapy. There were no serious complications such as massive haemorrhage, airway perforation, airway ignition and suffocation.

Interventional treatments through flexible bronchoscopy appear to be safe and effective for removing endobronchial hamartoma.