Endoscopic treatment of bronchopleural fistula using ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate: A report of two cases

Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is a serious complication after lung resection or chronic empyema. BPF often causes severe pneumonia or fatal airway bleeding due to bronchoarterial fistula. Although BPF often requires surgical treatment, another, more conservative treatment option is endoscopic bronchial occlusion for non-operable patients. Many endoscopic treatments have been reported. We report here two patients with BPF who underwent endoscopic bronchial occlusion. Patient 1 had postoperative BPF with empyema and Patient 2 had BPF due to chronic empyema. Because the BPF in Patient 1 was small, it could be successfully treated by endobronchial occlusion using only ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate. In contrast, because the BPF in Patient 2 was large, it could not be treated by endobronchial occlusion using ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate alone; it was successfully treated by endobronchial occlusion using the combination of ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate and a silicone spigot (endobronchial Watanabe spigot, EWS). When we attempt endoscopic bronchial occlusion with BPF for non-operable patients, ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate may be an option for small fistulas, while the combination of EWS and ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate may be suitable for large fistulas.