To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Size of Balloon Not a Significant Factor in Durable Airway Dilation for Lung Transplantation Patients: Presented at SIR URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/21EC5A.htm Doctor's Guide March 25, 2008
By Ed Susman WASHINGTON, DC -- March 25, 2008 -- The size of the balloon used to open airway passages in lung transplant patients does not appear to be a factor in whether those openings remain patent for more than 6 months, researchers said here at the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting. "Airway complications following lung transplantation continue to hinder patient recovery and long-term transplant viability," said Jeremy Durack, MD, Resident Physician in Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, California. In his electronic poster presentation on March 19, Dr. Durack described his retrospective study of 78 dilation procedures performed among 23 patients for airway stenosis following lung transplantation. The procedures were performed for symptoms or for bronchoscopic or imaging evidence of airway narrowing or if there was evidence of declining pulmonary function. Of the 78 dilations, 43 (55.1%) remained patent for at least 6 months. The mean balloon size for the airways that remained patent after 6 months averaged about 10.7 mm compared with 9.9 mm for those that failed in the 6 months after the procedure. The difference between the sizes showed a trend in favour of the larger size but did not achieve statistical significance (P = .08), Dr. Durack said. "No cases of balloon-induced rupture were recorded in our living patient population," he added. However, he noted that airway rupture was observed among cadavers when balloons 14.0 to 16.0 mm w ere inflated. "The most common balloon size used in both the durable and failed dilation procedures was 8.0 mm," he said. While statistical significance may not have been achieved due to the relatively small sample sizes, Dr. Durack said that the nature of the study being performed retrospectively and without standardised measuring may have affected the statistical outcome. "We plan to continue to collect data related to these procedures with the goal of providing guidance when planning balloon dilations for benign airway stenoses," he said. [Presentation title: Dilation of Airway Stenoses Following Lung Transplantation: Impact of Balloon Size on 6-Month Patency and Safety. Abstract 309] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.