Balloon dilation for bronchial tuberculosis occlusion

  Bronchial tuberculosis (also known as endobronchial tuberculosis) is not uncommon in patients with respiratory tuberculosis, and it is common in young adults, especially in young women, and usually the symptoms are not prominent. Many patients are diagnosed as having bronchial asthma and treated inappropriately when they have obvious airway obstruction and dyspnea, which eventually leads to lamentable consequences. Therefore, many senior respiratory and tuberculosis experts are now calling for patients with tuberculosis, especially young patients, to undergo bronchoscopy to find out whether bronchial tuberculosis is present, in order to make a clear diagnosis; secondly, to determine the severity of coexisting bronchial tuberculosis as early as possible and to develop a reasonable interventional or non-interventional treatment plan; thirdly, and more importantly, the treatment time for bronchial tuberculosis is much longer than that for common tuberculosis. Conventional treatment alone cannot achieve the ultimate effect or is prone to recurrence.  Almost 100% of bronchial tuberculosis can cause different degrees of bronchial stenosis. Patients with mild lesions can be treated with standard anti-tuberculosis drugs, while those with moderate or severe stenosis often require bronchoscopic intervention to open the occluded bronchus and eliminate the atelectasis caused by the occlusion. The most common and effective intervention is bronchial balloon dilation, which is indicated for benign bronchial stenosis of various causes, and is generally most effective when it occurs in the main and lobar bronchi. In patients with severe stenosis, dyspnea is reduced and lung function is significantly improved after balloon dilation.  Balloon dilatation is usually performed under local anesthesia, mostly with a disposable high-pressure balloon, and takes half to one hour to operate. Depending on the degree of stenosis, one or more balloon dilations may be performed in different patients.