Use of cryoprobe for removal of a large tracheobronchial foreign body during flexible bronchoscopy (original) (raw)

strictures) and malignant (bronchogenic carcinoma, salivary gland tumors of the trachea) lesions of the airways, and for cryo-recanalization (restoring the patency of the airway by removal of the tumor). [4-7] Other uses include the performance of endobronchial and transbronchial lung biopsy and pleural cryobiopsies. [6,8-10] Cryoprobe has also been used for the extraction of tracheobronchial foreign bodies such as tablets, food particles, and blood clots using the technique of cryoextraction. [3,11,12] Herein, we describe the use of cryoprobe in the successful extraction of a large tracheobronchial FB during flexible bronchoscopy. CASE REPORT A 60-year-old male with no prior comorbid illness presented with breathlessness, cough, and wheezing of 10 h duration following accidental inhalation of the harad (Terminalia chebula) seed. On examination, he Foreign body (FB) inhalation in the tracheobronchial tree is an infrequently encountered event in adults. The diagnosis is suspected in the presence of a clinical history of aspiration and the presence of respiratory symptoms. Management involves confirmation by flexible bronchoscopy, which may be both diagnostic as well as therapeutic. However, in certain situations including those with large FB, FB embedded in granulation tissue or FB with very smooth margins, rigid bronchoscopy may be superior to flexible bronchoscopy in the retrieval of the FB. An alternative to rigid bronchoscopy in such situations may be the use of a cryoprobe. Herein, we describe a patient with a large tracheobronchial FB causing a complete collapse of the left lung and hypoxemia. The FB was successfully extracted using a cryoprobe during flexible bronchoscopy, obviating the need for rigid bronchoscopy.