Transcatheter bronchial artery embolization in the management of hemoptysis

Abstract

Objectives To study the safety and efficacy of bronchial artery embolization (BAE) in patients with hemoptysis. Patients and methods This is a prospective study in which 19 patients with hemoptysis were recruited from the chest clinic and emergency room. Patients underwent transcatheter BAE in the Interventional Radiology Unit during the period November 2015 to July 2017. Results The causes of hemoptysis in our study included post-tuberculosis bronchiectasis, mycetoma, congenital bronchiectasis, bronchogenic carcinoma, tuberculosis bronchopneumonia, and vascular malformation. Technical success to catheterize the bronchial arteries was achieved in all cases. In all patients, hemoptysis stopped immediately after embolization, and no patient reported any attack of hemoptysis during the follow-up period, which was 1 year after embolization, except one patient in whom recurrence occurred after 6 months of gel-foam embolization (5.2%) and required a second session of embolization. Conclusion Hemoptysis of whatever cause could be controlled after BAE safely with low risk of recurrence.