Bronchoscopic gluing for post-lung-transplant bronchopleural fistula

Abstract

A 44-year-old female patient diagnosed as pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis with respiratory failure underwent bilateral sequential lung transplantation using an entire left lung and a post-lower-lobectomy right lung due to pneumonia. Persistent air leakage during cough was noted and bronchoscopy 12 days after transplantation demonstrated post-lobectomy bronchial stump dehiscence with a large bronchopleural fistula. We applied twice tissue glue instillation on the dehiscent bronchial stump through flexible bronchoscopy. The air leak improved and the patient was discharged 3 months after transplantation uneventfully. Two months after discharge, bronchoscopy showed complete healing of the dehiscent bronchial stump. Now, she lives independently without oxygen support.