Malignant tracheal-mediastinal-parenchymal-pleural fistula after chemoradiation plus bevacizumab: management with a Y-silicone stent inside a metallic covered stent

J Bronchology Interv Pulmonol. 2015 Jan;22(1):85-9. doi: 10.1097/LBR.0000000000000099.

Abstract

Tracheal or bronchial-mediastinal fistulas are a rare entity associated to high mortality. We report a case of a 58-year-old man with an unresectable non-small cell carcinoma of the lung, treated with chemoradiation followed by bevacizumab. Approximately, 6 weeks after starting bevacizumab he developed a severe cough with copious secretions He could not lie supine due to the feeling of drowning. Investigations revealed a large tracheo-mediastinal-parenchymal-pleural fistula. Palliative management was offered with interventional bronchoscopic techniques. He was found to have a large central airway defect that obliterated almost 40% of the trachea. Under general anesthesia and positive pressure ventilation, a unique approach was used to rebuild an eroded tracheal and right main stem bronchial wall. A self-expanding metallic stent (SEMS) was placed to provide a scaffold of support, whereas a Dumon Y-stent was placed inside the SEMS. This combination allowed for a patent, stable airway; recreating the normal anatomy in a minimally invasive manner walling off the fistula. The patient was discharged 2 days after the bronchoscopic intervention, with significant palliation of his symptomatology. Eighteen months later, the upper lobe cavity persists with a stable airway and stents perfectly positioned with clinically insignificant evidence of stent related granulation in the upper trachea.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Bevacizumab
  • Bronchoscopy / methods
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / therapy*
  • Chemoradiotherapy
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Lung Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Palliative Care
  • Respiratory Tract Fistula / pathology*
  • Respiratory Tract Fistula / surgery*
  • Stents*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Bevacizumab