Radiological Findings and Outcomes of Bronchial Artery Embolization in Cryptogenic Hemoptysis

Management of cryptogenic massive hemoptysis is difficult, and conservative treatment may be inadequate to stop the hemorrhage. Surgery is not a reasonable option because there is no underlying identifiable pathology. This study aimed to investigate the radiologic findings and bronchial artery embolization outcomes in cryptogenic hemoptysis, and to compare the results with non-cryptogenic hemoptysis. We evaluated 26 patients with cryptogenic hemoptysis and 152 patients with non-cryptogenic hemoptysis. A comparison of the bronchial artery abnormalities between the cryptogenic and non-cryptogenic hemoptysis groups showed that only extravasation was more statistically significant in the cryptogenic hemoptysis group than in the non-cryptogenic hemoptysis group, while the other bronchial artery abnormalities, such as bronchial artery dilatation, hypervascularity, and bronchial-to-pulmonary shunting, showed no significant difference between groups. Involvement of the non-bronchial systemic artery was significantly greater in the non-cryptogenic hemoptysis group than in the cryptogenic hemoptysis group. While 69.2% of patients with cryptogenic hemoptysis also had hypervascularity in the contralateral bronchial arteries and/or ipsilateral bronchial artery branches other than the bleeding lobar branches, this finding was not detected in non-cryptogenic hemoptysis. Embolization was performed on all patients using polyvinyl alcohol particles of 355-500 microm. Hemoptysis ceased in all patients immediately after embolization. While recurrence of hemoptysis showed no statistically significant difference between the cryptogenic and non-cryptogenic hemoptysis groups, it was mild in cryptogenic hemoptysis in contrast to mostly severe in non-cryptogenic hemoptysis. Transarterial embolization is a safe and effective technique to manage cryptogenic hemoptysis.

randomized trial of smoking cessation. medication versus motivation

A prospective randomized study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness and side effect profiles of nicotine patch and bupropion therapies for smoking cessation. Three hundred and fifty patients were referred to our smoking cessation program in the Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Gaziantep University between September 2002 and July 2003. Of these, only 131patients fulfilled the trial criteria. We randomized the patients into nicotine patch [n=50], bupropion [n=50] and control groups [n=31]. Cases were followed up for 24 weeks. Questionnaires including the Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence and Beck Depression Inventory were carried out at initial evaluation. Declaration of quitting and exhaled carbon monoxide level less than 10 ppm was accepted as success criteria. Success rates were 26% for nicotine patch group, 26% for bupropion and 16% for control group at the end of the 24th week [p=0.56]. Beck depression inventory scores did not differ significantly between the groups, however none of the cases with scores greater than 13 succeeded regardless of the group. Mean body weight at baseline and change at 6 months did not differ significantly between the groups. Sleep disturbance was significantly more common in nicotine patch and bupropion groups than the control group [p=0.008]. The present study reinforces the role of medical doctors and importance of close follow up in smoking cessation, and directed counseling is quite as effective as pharmacologic therapy and is the sole approach without any adverse effects