Aortic ostia of the bronchial arteries and tracheal bifurcation:MDCT analysis

AIM:To explore the anatomical relationships between bronchial artery and tracheal bifurcation using computed tomography angiography (CTA).METHODS:One hundred consecutive patients (84 men,16 women;aged 46-85 years) who underwent CTA using multi-detector row CT (MDCT) were investigated retrospectively.The distance between sites of bronchial artery ostia and tracheal bifurcation,and dividing directions were explored.The directions of division from the descending aorta were described as on a clock face.RESULTS:We identified ostia of 198 bronchial arteries:95 right bronchial arteries,67 left bronchial arteries,36 common trunk arteries.Of these,172 (87%) divided from the descending aorta,25 (13%) from the aortic arch,and 1 (0.5%) from the left subclavian artery.The right,left,and common trunk bronchial arteries divided at-1 to 2 cm from tracheal bifurcation with frequencies of 77% (73/95),82% (54/66),and 70% (25/36),respectively.The dividing direction of right bronchial arteries from the descending aorta was 9 to 10 o’clock with a frequency of 81% (64/79);that of left and common tract bronchial arteries was 11 to 1 o’clock with frequencies of 70% (43/62) and 77% (24/31),respectively.CONCLUSION:CTA using MDCT provides details of the relation between bronchial artery ostia and tracheal bifurcation.

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.

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.

The Role of Multislice Computed Angiography of the Bronchial Arteries before Arterial Embolization in Patients with Hemoptysis

Purpose: To evaluate the role of multislice computed angiography of the bronchial arteries and nonbronchial systemic arteries in patients with hemoptysis when performed before arterial embolization procedure. Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight patients with hemoptysis underwent multislice CT angiography of the bronchial arteries with dual-source 64 × 2 detector row scanner before embolization. The transverse CT images as well as the multiplanar reconstructions, the maximum intensity projections and the three-dimensional CT images were used for the depiction of bronchial arteries (the total number of the bronchial arteries, the abnormal bronchial arteries, their origin at the aorta and the diameter of the ostium). The presence of nonbronchial systemic arteries regarded as causing hemoptysis was also evaluated. Digital angiography and selective arteriograms of abnormal bronchial and nonbronchial systemic arteries were performed based on the findings of multislice computed tomography (MDCT). Results: Seventy-eight (40 right and 38 left) bronchial arteries were detected at computed angiography (CTA). Forty of the seventy-eight bronchial arteries that were detected at CTA, were considered abnormal. On selective angiography 38 of these bronchial arteries were regarded as causing hemoptysis. Two of these arteries could not be selectively catheterized and therefore could not be evaluated. All 38 bronchial arteries regarded as causing hemoptysis at selective angiography were detected prospectively at CTA as abnormal. Four bronchial arteries that were found to be responsible for hemoptysis had diameter <2 mm. Twelve nonbronchial systemic arteries were considered to be abnormal on CTA scans. Ten of these twelve nonbronchial systemic arteries were regarded on selective angiography as causing hemoptysis. Two of these arteries were found normal on angiography. All 10 nonbronchial arteries regarded as causing hemoptysis were detected at CTA scans. All bronchial and nonbronchial arteries causing hemoptysis were successfully embolized. Conclusion: MDCT angiography allows detailed identification of abnormal bronchial and nonbronchial systemic arteries using a variety of reformatted images, providing a precise road map for the interventional radiologist.

Effects of combined treatment of bronchial arterial chemoembolization and radioactive particle implantation on tumor markers and T lymphocyte subsets in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: To investigate the effects of bronchial arterial chemoembolization combined with radioactive particle implantation on the level of serum tumor markers and T lymphocyte subsets in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: A total of 91 cases of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients according to the random data table were divided into the control group (n=45) and observation group (n=46) according to the random data table. Patients in the control group was treated with bronchial arterial chemoembolization, on the basis of the control group, patients in the observation group were treated with radioactive particle implantation, the serum tumor markers and T lymphocyte subsets of the two groups were compared before and after treatment. Results: The levels of CEA, NSE, CA125, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+ and NK in the two groups before the treatment were not statistically significant. Compared with the group before treatment, levels of CEA, NSE, CA125and CD8+ of the two groups after treatment were significantly decreased, and after treatment the level of CEA, NSE, CA125and CD8+ in the observation group was significantly lower than those of the control group;The levels of CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ and NK in the two groups after treatment were significantly higher than those in the group before treatment, and the observation group levels were significantly higher than those of the control group. Conclusion: Bronchial artery embolization combined with radioactive particle implantation for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, can effectively reduce the serum tumor markers level, improve the level of T cell subsets of patients, has important clinical value.

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.

Safety of bronchial arterial embolization with n-butyl cyanoacrylate in a swine model

AIM: To compare the efficacy and safety of bronchial artery embolization (BAE) with n-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) and gelatin sponge particles (GSPs). METHODS: Six healthy female swine were divided into two groups to be treated with BAE using NBCA-lipiodol (NBCA-Lp) and using GSPs. The occlusive durability, the presence of embolic materials, the response of the vessel wall, and damage to the bronchial wall and pulmonary parenchyma were compared. RESULTS: No animals experienced any major complication. Two days later, no recanalization of the bronchial artery was observed in the NBCA-Lp group, while partial recanalization was seen in the GSP group. Embolic materials were not found in the pulmonary artery or pulmonary vein. NBCA-Lp was present as a bubble-like space in bronchial branch arteries of 127-1240 μm, and GSPs as reticular amorphous substance of 107-853 μm. These arteries were in the adventitia outside the bronchial cartilage but not in the fine vessels inside the bronchial cartilage. No damage to the bronchial wall and pulmonary parenchyma was found in either group. Red cell thrombus, stripping of endothelial cells, and infiltration of inflammatory cells was observed in vessels embolized with NBCA-Lp or GSP. CONCLUSION: NBCA embolization is more potent than GSP with regard to bronchial artery occlusion, and both materials were present in bronchial branch arteries≥100 μm diameter.

Effect of bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with elemene on the malignant lesion molecules and systemic immune response in patients with advanced lung cancer

Objective:To study the effect of bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with elemene on the malignant lesion molecules and systemic immune response in patients with advanced lung cancer.Methods:A total of 78 patients diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in our hospital between April 2013 and March 2016 were selected as research subjects and randomly divided into observation group who accepted bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with elemene therapy and control group who accepted bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy. After 4 weeks of treatment, tumor lesions were collected to determine the expression of proliferation and invasion molecule, and serum was collected to determine the levels of immune cell-related cytokines.Results:After 4 weeks of treatment, TCF3, Livin, Bcl-2, HOXB7, PTTG1, Vimentin, E-cadherin, Rap2a andβ-catenin protein expression in tumor lesions of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group;serum IFN-γ level of observation group was significantly higher than that of control group while IL-4, IL-9, IL-10 and TGF-β levels were significantly lower than those of control group.Conclusions:Bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with elemene can inhibit the expression of proliferation and invasion of molecules in tumor lesions and improve the systemic anti-tumor immune response in patients with advanced lung cancer.

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.

Recurrent hemoptysis in pediatric bronchial Dieulafoy’s disease with inferior phrenic artery supply:A case report

BACKGROUND Bronchial Dieulafoy’s disease(BDD)is characterized by the erosion of an anomalous artery in the submucosa of the bronchus.The etiology of pediatric BDD is mainly congenital dysplasia of bronchus and pulmonary arteries,which is different from chronic inflammatory injury of the airway in adult patients.The internal thoracic artery,subclavian artery,and intercostal artery are known to be involved in the blood supply to the BDD lesion in children.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of BDD in a 4-year-old boy with recurrent hemoptysis for one year.Selective angiography showed a dilated right bronchial artery,and anastomosis of its branches with the right lower pulmonary vascular network.Bronchoscopy showed nodular protrusion of the bronchial mucosa with a local scar.Selective embolization of the bronchial artery was performed to stop bleeding.One month after the first intervention,the symptoms of hemoptysis recurred.A computed tomography angiogram(CTA)showed another tortuous and dilated feeding artery in the right lower lung,which was an abnormal ascending branch of the inferior phrenic artery(IPA).The results of angiography were consistent with the CTA findings.The IPA was found to be another main supplying artery,which was not considered during the first intervention.Finally,the IPA was also treated by microsphere embolization combined with coil interventional closure.During the one-year follow-up,the patient never experienced hemoptysis.CONCLUSION The supplying arteries of the bleeding lesion in children with BDD may originate from multiple different aortopulmonary collateral arteries,and the IPA should be considered to reduce missed diagnosis.CTA is a noninvasive radiological examination for the screening of suspected vessels,which shows a high coincidence with angiography,and can serve as the first choice for the diagnosis of BDD.

经导管支气管动脉栓塞治疗肺结核咯血的效果

目的:探讨经导管支气管动脉栓塞(transcatheter bronchial arterial embolism,TBAE)治疗肺结核咯血的效果。方法:选取2022年6月—2023年6月盐城市第二人民医院收治的88例肺结核咯血患者。根据数表法将其分为治疗组(n=44)与参考组(n=44)。两组均给予抗结核药物,参考组给予常规止血治疗,治疗组在参考组基础上给予TBAE治疗。比较两组临床疗效,治疗前、治疗72 h后咯血量、动脉血气指标及时间指标、复发情况。结果:治疗组治疗总有效率高于参考组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗72 h后,两组咯血量均少于治疗前,治疗组咯血量少于参考组,止血时间和住院时间均短于参考组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗72 h后,两组动脉血二氧化碳分压(partial pressure of carbon dioxide,PaCO_(2))低于治疗前,动脉血氧分压(partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood,PaO_(2))高于治疗前,治疗组PaCO_(2)低于参考组,PaO_(2)高于参考组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗组复发率为4.55%(2/44),低于参考组的18.18%(8/44),差异有统计学意义(χ^(2)=4.062,P=0.044)。结论:TBAE治疗肺结核咯血能迅速止血,减少咯血量,改善动脉血气指标,缩短住院时间,降低复发率。

Tuberculous esophagomediastinal fistula with concomitant mediastinal bronchial artery aneurysm-acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A case report

BACKGROUND Esophagomediastinal fistula is a very rare complication of tuberculosis in otherwise healthy adults, and mediastinal bronchial artery aneurysm is even rarer. In this case report, we describe a rare case of tuberculosis complication that presented with acute upper gastrointestinal(GI) bleeding. It also highlights the benefits of chest computed tomography(CT) as an excellent adjunct diagnostic tool to endoscopy and bronchoscopy and the role of trans-arterial embolization as a minimal invasive therapy alternative to surgery.CASE SUMMARY A 19-year-old medically free male patient presented with acute multiple episodes of hematemesis for 1 d. Upper GI endoscopy, bronchoscopy, and chest CT with IV contrast confirmed esophagomediastinal fistula with mediastinal bronchial artery aneurysm. After resuscitating patient with IV fluid and blood product transfusion, trans catheter embolization was performed for mediastinal bronchial artery aneurysm.CONCLUSION We successfully treated a patient with acute upper GI bleeding due to tuberculous esophagomediastinal fistula and mediastinal bronchial artery aneurysm using transcatheter coil embolization.

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.

Bronchial artery embolization in hemoptysis

Massive hemoptysis is one of the most dreaded of all respiratory emergencies and can have a variety of underlying causes. It is mostly caused by bleeding from bronchial circulation. Bronchial artery embolization is now considered to be the treatment of choice for acute massive hemoptysis. Bronchial artery embolization (BAE) is a safe and effective nonsurgical treatment for patients with massive hemoptysis. However, nonbronchial systemic arteries can be a significant source of massive hemoptysis and a cause of recurrence after successful BAE. So knowledge of the bronchial artery anatomy, together with an understanding of the pathophysiologic features of massive hemoptysis, are essential for planning and performing BAE in affected patients. In addition, interventional radiologists should be familiar with the techniques, results, efficacy, safety and possible complications of BAE and with the characteristics of the various embolic agents. Bronchial arterial catheterisation in human via a percutaneous approach has been practiced for 32 years (1973) in the world and 20 years (1986) in China, initially for direct chemotherapy treatment for bronchial malignancies and then for the embolization of patients with massive haemoptysis. A review of clinical experience to evaluate technique,embolic materials,outcome and complications of BAE is presented.

Coil embolization of bronchial artery aneurysm with high flow bronchial artery-pulmonary artery fistula

We report a case of an asymptomatic 36-year-old man with a bronchial artery aneurysm in the right hilum. Selective angiography revealed a 25mmsaccular aneurysm and an efferent artery of the aneurysm forming a high flow bronchial artery-pulmonary artery fistula. Because of dilatation and tortuosity of the bronchial artery, the microcatheter could reach the efferent artery but not the fistula. Therefore, we embolized the fistula by sending microcoils through the bloodstream from the efferent artery to the fistula (the “flow-dependent” coil embolization technique), and further embolized the aneurysm by coil isolation and packing technique.

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.

Effect of preoperative bronchial artery infusion chemotherapy on the tumor malignancy of patients with stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer

Objective:To investigate the effect of preoperative bronchial artery infusion chemotherapy on the tumor malignancy of patients with stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.Methods:99 patients with stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer who underwent surgical treatment in our hospital between January 2015 and August 2018 were chosen as the research subjects, and the preoperative adjuvant therapies were reviewed and used to divide them into the control group (n=51) who received conventional neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the study group (n=48) who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with bronchial artery infusion chemotherapy. The differences in the expression levels of NSCLC-related proliferation, invasion and apoptosis genes in intraoperative lesion tissues were compared between the two groups.Results: NSCLC-related proliferation genes CD137L, dlk1, EZH2 and WT1 mRNA expression in lesion tissues of study group were lower than those of control group whereas DCLAK11 mRNA expression was higher than that of control group;NSCLC-related invasion genes ALX1, periostin and RAC1 mRNA expression were lower than those of control group whereas DAL-1 mRNA expression was higher than that of control group;NSCLC-related apoptosis genes Survivin, Livin, bcl-2 and Bag-1 mRNA expression were lower than those of control group.Conclusion: Preoperative bronchial artery infusion chemotherapy can further inhibit the malignant biological behaviors of cancer cells in patients with stage IIIA NSCLC.

Assessment of the efficacy and safety of bronchial artery perfusion chemotherapy combined with high-frequency hyperthermia for advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Objective:To study the efficacy and safety of bronchial artery perfusion chemotherapy combined with high-frequency hyperthermia for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Methods:Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who were treated in Navy General Hospital between May 2014 and October 2016 were selected and randomly divided into two groups, the observation group received bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with high-frequency hyperthermia, and the control group received bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy. Before and after treatment, the expression of tumor activity indexes and liver and kidney function indexes in serum as well as and proliferation and invasion genes in tumor lesions were detected respectively.Results: 5 d and 7 d after treatment, serum CEA, MIF, CYFRA21-1 and HE4 levels of both groups of patients were significantly lower than those before treatment and serum CEA, MIF, CYFRA21-1 and HE4 levels of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group;7 d after treatment, MEF2D, c-myc, Survivin, Bcl-2, Vimentin, N-cadherin and Slug expression in tumor lesions of both groups of patients were significantly lower than those before treatment and MEF2D, c-myc, Survivin, Bcl-2, Vimentin, N-cadherin and Slug expression in tumor lesions of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group;serum Scr, BUN, ALT and AST levels were not significantly different between two groups of patients before and after treatment. Conclusion:Bronchial artery perfusion chemotherapy combined with high-frequency hyperthermia for advanced non-small cell lung cancer can significantly inhibit the tumor proliferation and invasion and is with ideal safety.

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.