LEFT MAIN-STEM BRONCHIAL STENOSIS COMPLICATING BRONCHIAL ARTERY EMBOLIZATION

A 36-year-old patient was found to have severe left main-stem bronchial stenosis two years after bronchial artery embolization (BAE) for hemoptysis. Embolization-induced bronchial ischemia appeared to be the only potential cause for the observed lesions, and, to our knowledge, this constitutes the first report of late bronchial sequelae following BAE. Despite balloon-catheter dilatation of the stenosis, the severity of poststenotic lesions led to left pneumonectomy. The anatomic data further supported the hypothesis of a complication of BAE. Clinicians and radiologists should be aware of this potential complication of a widely used therapeutic procedure.