Case report: Endobronchial closure of postoperative bronchopleural fistula with embolization coil: a sandwich-like approach.

Background: Embolization Coil has been reported to effectively treat postoperative bronchopleural fistula (BPF). Little detailed information was available on computer tomography (CT) imaging features of postoperative BPF and treating procedures with pushable Embolization Coil. Objective: We aimed to specify the imaging characteristics of postoperative BPFs and present our experience treating them with the pushable Embolization Coil. Methods: Six consecutive patients (four males and two females aged 29-56 years) diagnosed with postoperative BPF receiving bronchoscopic treatment with the pushable Nester® Embolization Coil (Cook Medical, Bloomington, Indiana) were included in this single-center, retrospective study. Multiplanar reconstruction of multidetector CT scans was reviewed for the presence, location, size, and radiological complications of each BPF, including air collection, pneumothorax, bronchiectasis, and chest tube. Using standardized data abstraction forms, demographic traits and clinical outcomes were extracted from the medical files of these patients. Results: The underlying diseases for lung resection surgery were pulmonary tuberculosis ( Conclusion: The pushable Nester® Embolization Coil seems a minimally invasive, cost-effective, and relatively easy-to-perform bronchoscopic treatment for postoperative BPF with a size less than 2 mm. Further studies are required to ensure the use of pushable Embolization Coil in treating postoperative BPF.