Multidetector CT angiography with volumetric three-dimentional rendering to evaluate bronchial arteries in primary lung cancer

Objective：To evaluate the imageologic characteristics of the bronchial arteries （BAs） in primary lung cancer （PLC）with multidetector CT （MDCT）angiography. Methods： Thin-section enhanced CT scanning （with an Toshiba Aquilion 16 scanner） was performed in 164 PLC patients, of whom 123 were confirmed by pathology and the remaining 41 were confirmed by typical radiological and clinical findings. Another 46 patients with normal thoracic CT presentations were served as control. Three-dimensional （3D） images of the BAs were processed at workstation （Vitrea 2, Vital Corp, USA）. Spatial anatomical characters of the BAs were observed using volume rendering （VR） and multiplanar reconstruction （MPR） or maximum intensity projection （MIP）. Results： At least one bronchial artery was displayed clearly on VR in 152 （92.7%） of the 164 PLC patients and 32 （69.6%） of the 46 controls. There were 48. 92% of the right BAs originating from the descending aorta and 46. 24% from the right intercostal artery. 97.53% of the left BAs originated from the descending aorta, and 94.87% of the common trunk from the descending aorta. There were 10 distribution patterns of the BAs, with one on the right and one on the left predominating （48. 68%）. More BA branches were found to reach far from the segmental bronchi or enter into the lesions in the PLC group than those in the control group （25.8% vs 1.7% ）, and also the ipsilateral side of the PLC than the contralateral side （40% vs 8. 8%）. The diameter and the total transaxial areas of the BAs on the ipsilateral side of the PLC lesions were significantly larger than those on the contralateral side or those of the control group （P〈0. 05）. Conclusion：The anatomic characters and pathologic changes can be depicted in vivo stereographically and clearly by CTA with volumetric 3D rendering. Dilation of the BAs and increase of total blood flow in patients with PLC can be evaluated quantitatively, which may be useful in the diagnosis and assessment of PLC, and have the potential to increase the safety and effect of interventional therapy.

Three-dimensional Imaging of Multi-slice Spiral CT in Bronchial Artery Correlative Study on Blood Supply of Central Lung Cancer and Its Clinical Significance

Objective: To evaluate three-dimensional bronchial artery imaging charactersin central lung cancer and applied values with multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) to provide theoreticalevidence on blood supply and intervention therapy. Methods: Eighteen patients with central lungcancer underwent MSCT with real time helical thin-slice CT scanning. Three-dimensional bronchialartery reconstruction was done at the console work-station. The space anatomical characters ofbronchial artery were observed through different rotations. Results: For 6 cases, thethree-dimensional images of bronchial artery (33.33%) could exactly show the origins, the routes(lung inner segment and mediatism segment) and the diameters of bronchial arteries. Vision rate ofbronchial arteries was the highest in pulmonary artery stricture and truncation groups, and thevessels' diameter became larger apparently. These characters demonstrated blood supply of this kindof central lung cancer come from bronchial artery. Volume rendering images were the best ones amongthree-dimensional images. Conclusion: Three-dimensional imaging with MSCT in bronchial artery canreveal the anatomical characters of bronchial artery and provide theoretical evidence on bloodsupply and intervention therapy of central lung cancer.

Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by esophageal right bronchial artery fistula:A case report

BACKGROUND Fistula between the esophagus and bronchial artery is an extremely rare and potentially life-threatening cause of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.Here,we report a case of fistula formation between the esophagus and a nonaneurysmal right bronchial artery(RBA).CASE SUMMARY An 80-year-old woman with previous left pneumonectomy and recent placement of an uncovered self-expandable metallic stent for esophageal adenocarcinoma was admitted due to hematemesis.Emergent computed tomography showed indirect signs of fistulization between the esophagus and a nonaneurysmal RBA,in the absence of active bleeding.Endoscopy revealed the esophageal stent correctly placed and a moderate amount of red blood within the stomach,in the absence of active bleeding or tumor ingrowth/overgrowth.After prompt multidisciplinary evaluation,a step-up approach was planned.The bleeding was successfully controlled by esophageal restenting followed by RBA embolization.No signs of rebleeding were observed and the patient was discharged home with stable hemoglobin level on postoperative day 7.CONCLUSION This was a previously unreported case of an esophageal RBA fistula successfully managed by esophageal restenting followed by RBA embolization.

LONG TERM RESULTS OF BRONCHIAL ARTERIAL INFUSION WITHCHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS PLUS RADIATION THERAPYIN THE TERATMENT OF LOCALLY ADVANCEDNON SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the bronchial arterial infusion (BAI) plus radiation therapy (RT) for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: 79 patients with locally advanced NSCLC were divided randomly into two groups. In the RT group, the radiation was given by 8Mv X-ray or 18Mv X-ray with 2Gy/fraction, 5 fraction per week with a total dose of 60Gy～65Gy/6～7 weeks. In the BAI+RT group, the radiation was given as RT group. Bronchial arterial infusion was performed before RT. The regimen consisted of DDP 100 mg/m2, MMC 10 mg, and 5-Fu 1000 mg. Each patient received two or three cycles. Results: The overall response rates were 80.5% in BAI+RT group and 50% in RT group. The 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates in the BAI+RT group were significantly improved when compared to the RT group, being 87.8% vs 36.8%, 39.0% vs 7.9%, and 17.1% vs 2.6% respectively. The median time of radiation treatment to recurrence of primary lesion was 11 months in the BAI+RT group and 5 months in the RT group (P<0.05). The acute reactions were increased but acceptable in BAI+RT group, and the radiation treatments were able to be completed without any break. The late reactions were similar in both groups. Conclusion: The survival rates of patients with locally advanced NSCLC can be improved by BAI+RT without increasing any complication.

Clinical study of interventional preoperative bronchial artery infusion chemotherapy combined with surgical resection for advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Objective： How to improve the postoperative 5-year survival rate for lung cancer and to give more patients a chance of surgery have become research hotspots. The aim of this research is to evaluate the clinical and pathohistological responses and effects of preoperative bronchial artery infusion （BAI） chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced （stage Ⅲ） non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Methods： A total of 92 patients with locally advanced NSCLC were randomly divided into two groups. BAI group received BAI chemotherapy for 2 cycles before surgical resection. Surgery group received operation only. The complete resection rate and clinical response were compared between the two groups. Results： In the BAI group, the clinical response rate and the pathohistological response rate were 68.3% and 51.3%, respectively. The complete resection rate in the BAI group was 89.7%, which was significantly higher than that in the surgery group （72.5%） （P 〈 0.05）. The 1- and 2-year survival rate was 100.0% and 80.6% in the BAI group, and 94.1% and 60.0% in the surgery group. Conclusion： BAI neoadjuvant chemotherapy is safe and effective, which has a good clinical and pathohistological response. It might increase the complete resection rate of the tumor and improve the long term survival rate of stage Ⅲ NSCLC patients.

The effects on surgery and preoperative patients with non-small cell lung cancer by preoperative bronchial artery infusion chemotherapy

Objective： To study the efficiency, safety and feasibility of preoperative bronchial artery infusion （BAI） chemotherapy on operation in patients with locally advanced （stage Ⅲ） non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Methods： 92 cases with locally advanced NSCLC patients were randomly divided into two groups： （1） BAI chemotherapy group： 39 cases were received BAI chemotherapy for 2 courses and followed surgery; （2） surgery alone group： 51 cases were treated by operation alone. The complete resection rate and preoperative complications were compared between these two groups. Results： In BAI chemotherapy group, the rate of clinical efficiency was 68.3% with slight toxicity. In BAI chemotherapy group the surgery complete resection rate was 89.7%, which was significantly higher than that in surgery alone group （72.5%, P 〈 0.05）. No significant differences of blood loss, operative complications and mortality were observed between these two groups. Conclusion： BAI neoadjuvant chemotherapy was safe and effective, which can increase the complete resection rate of the tumor and did not increase the operative complications and mortality.

BRONCHIAL ARTERY CHEMOTHERAPY FOR INOPERABLE NON-SMALL-CELL LUNG CANCER

We applied low-dose cisplatin regimen delivered by an interventional method to twenty-one consecutively treated patients with inoperable NSCLC.The regimen consisted of cisplatin 50 mg/m2, mitomycin C 10 mg/m2,and 5-Fu 500 mg/m2.All patients had positive response to the treatment.The overall response rate was 76.2%(CR:23.8%,PR:52.4%).The median survival was 25.5±3.2 weeks,which was similar to those obtained by other combination chemotherapies,but the toxicity was significantly reduced. The results suggested that bronchial artery chemotherapy would give the patients with advanced NSCLC a satisfactory early results and a higher quality of life.It is advisable to select bronchial artery chemotherapy as a preoperative treatment for advanced NSCLC.

Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding:A stitch on time saves nine

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is common and often needs timely intervention for optimal outcomes.Esophageal bleeding may occur due to local advancement of malignancy or bleeding from an arterio-oesophageal fistula.We discuss the management options available for such cases.

The efficacy of empiric arterial embolization for treating severe hemoptysis

Aim: Purpose of the study was to investigate the efficacy of empiric arterial embolization in order to achieve hemostasis in patients with massive hemoptysis. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of histories and interventional studies of 56 patients (40 male, 16 female, median age 57 years;range, 16 - 83 years) referred for endovascular treatment of massive hemoptysis over a period of 17 years. Arteries supposed to supply the bleeding bronchoalveolar sections were embolized with particles in all cases. Digital subtraction angiographical (DSA) studies were analyzed with respect to the morphology of the embolized arteries. Arteries were termed pathologic when they were either hypertrophic or supplied hypervascular lung sections as well as actively bleeding branches. Empiric embolization was defined as endovascular occlusion of arteries without visible contrast-material extravasation on DSA studies. Results: Continuing hemoptysis was encountered in one (25%) of 4 patients with active contrast extravasation and in 11 (21%) of 52 empirically embolized patients: Six (19%) of 32 patients with pathologic arteries visible on aortography, 3 (18%) of 17 with pathologic arteries visible by selective arteriography and 2 (67%) of 3 with no visible pathologic arteries. From 6 patients (11%, 5 male, 1 female) who died within 30 days after embolization, 3 suffered from tuberculosis while 3 had malignant tumors. Three had ongoing hemoptysis. One patient died of multiple organ failure caused by post-interventional paraplegia and consecutive pneumonia. Conclusion: In patients with hemoptysis, empirical embolization is effective when pathologic bronchial arteries can be identified by DSA.

Bronchial Artery Embolization for Hemoptysis： A Retrospective Observational Study of 344 Patients

Background：Hemoptysis is a significant clinical entity with high morbidity and potential mortality.Both medical management （in terms of resuscitation and bronchoscopic interventions） and surgery have severe limitations in these patients population.Bronchial artery embolization （BAE） represents the first-line treatment for hemoptysis.This article discusses clinical analysis,embolization approach,outcomes and complications of BAE for the treatment of hemoptysis.Methods：A retrospective analysis of 344 cases,who underwent bronchial arteriography at Tianjin Haihe Hospital between 2006 and 2013.Several aspects of outcome were analyzed：Demographics,clinical presentation,radiographic studies,results,complications and follow-up of BAE.Results：Three hundred and forty-four consecutive patients underwent bronchial arteriography,336 of 344 patients （97.7%） performed BAE; there were 1530 coils for 920 arteries embolized; the main responsible sources for bleeding were right bronchial artery （29.7%）,left bronchial artery （21.6%）,combined right and left bronchial trunk （18.4%）,right intercostal arteries （13.3%）; 61 patients （17.7%） had recurrent hemoptysis within 1 month after undergoing BAE,74 patients （21.5%） had recurrent hemoptysis over 1 month after undergoing BAE; The common complications of BAE included subintimal dissection,arterial perforation by a guide wire,fever,chest pain,dyspnea,etc.The follow-up was completed in 248 patients,28 patients had been dead,21 patients still bleed,92 patients had lost to follow-up.Conclusions：The technique of BAE is a relatively safe and effective method for controlling hemoptysis.The complications of BAE are rare.Although the long-term outcome in some patients is not good,BAE may be the only life-saving treatment option in patients who are poor surgical candidates.

Adenovirus-mediated wild-type p53 gene transfer in combination with bronchial arterial infusion for treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer,one year follow-up

Objective： In the present study, we have examined the safety and efficacy of recombinant adenovirus encoding human p53 tumor suppressor gene （rAd-p53） injection in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer （NSCLC） in the combination with the therapy of bronchial arterial infusion （BAI）. Methods： A total of 58 patients with advanced NSCLC were enrolled in a non-randomized, two-armed clinical trial. Of which, 19 received a combination treatment of BAI and rAd-p53 （the combo group）, while the remaining 39 were treated with only BAI （the control group）. Patients were followed up for 12 months, with safety and local response evaluated by the National Cancer lnstitute＇s Common Toxicity Criteria and response evaluation criteria in solid tumor （RECIST）, respectively. Time to progression （TTP） and survival rates were also analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method. Results In the combo group, 19 patients received a total of 49 injections ofrAd-p53 and 46 times of BAI, respectively, while 39 patients in the control group received a total of 113 times of BAI. The combination treatment was found to have less adverse events such as anorexia, nausea and emesis, pain, and leucopenia （P〈0.05） but more arthralgia, fever, influenza-like symptom, and myalgia （P〈0.05）, compared with the control group. The overall response rates （complete response （CR）＋partial response （PR）） were 47.3% and 38.4% for the combo group and the control group, respectively （P〉0.05）. Patients in the combo group had a longer TTP than those in the control group （a median 7.75 vs 5.5 months, P-0.018）. However, the combination treatment did not lead to better survival, with survival rates at 3, 6, and 12 months in the combo group being 94.74%, 89.47%, and 52.63%, respectively, com- pared with 92.31%, 69.23%, and 38.83% in the control group （P=0.224）. Conclusion： Our results show that the combination of rAd-p53 and BAI was well tolerated in patients with NSCLC and may have improved the quality of life and delayed the disease progression. A further study to better determine the efficacy of this combination therapy is warranted.

Clinical significance of interventional therapeutic bronchoscopy combined with bronchial arterial embolization in the treatment of hypervascular primary airway tumors in children

Importance Pediatric hypervascular primary airway tumors are progressive,fatal lesions with a low incidence,and the disease is often more serious than that in adults.Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of interventional therapeutic bronchoscopy combined with conservative treatment and bronchial arterial embolization in children with primary airway tumors.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of four pediatric patients with hypervascular primary airway tumor between 2017 and 2019 at Beijing Children’s Hospital.Results Two patients were low-grade bronchial mucoepidermoid carcinoma,one patient was pleomorphic adenoma,and one was bronchial leiomyoma.Interventional therapeutic bronchoscopy combined with bronchial arterial embolization was used for treatment(all four patients received general anesthesia).The tumors were safely resected in all patients via interventional bronchoscopy.There were no severe complications related to the procedures.All patients were followed up for 5–12 months,and one low-grade bronchial mucoepidermoid carcinoma recurred.Interpretation Interventional therapeutic bronchoscopy combined with bronchial arterial embolization appears to be a safe and efficient therapeutic method associated with less trauma and fewer complications,including no serious adverse events,in children with hypervascular primary airway tumors without bronchus wall infiltration.

Clinical Study on Treatment of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer by Chinese Herbal Medicine Combined with Bronchial Arterial Chemotherapy

To study the therapeutic effect of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) combined with bronchial arterial chemotherapy (BAC) in treating lung cancer.Methods: Ninety patients with mid-advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were randomly divided into two groups. The 45 cases in Group A were treated with CHM combined with BAC and the 45 cases in Group B treated with BAC alone. The short-term and long-term effect, follow-up survival rate, quality of life, changes of clinical symptoms and peripheral blood figures in the patients were observed.Results: After treatment, the rate of CR+PR+NC in the two groups was 88.89% and 68.89% respectively, the inter-group comparison showed a significant difference (P<0.05). The 0.5-, 1- and 2-year survival rate in Group A was 75.56%, 55.56% and 48.89% respectively and in Group B 71.11%, 46.67% and 24.44% respectively. The 2-year survival rate in the former was better than that in the latter (P<0.05). Moreover, the improvement of clinical symptoms, Karnofsky scoring, body weight and peripheral blood figure in Group A was superior to those in Group B.Conclusion: Therapeutic effect of BAC could be enhanced by combining it with CHM.