Scarring Airway Stenosis in Chinese Adults: Characteristics and Interventional Bronchoscopy Treatment

Background: Scarring airway stenosis is commonly seen in China as compared to other developed countries, due to the high prevalence of tuberculosis. Nowadays, interventional bronchoscopy treatment has been widely used to treat this disease in China. This study demonstrated the characteristics of scarring airway stenosis in Chinese adults and retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of interventional bronchoscopy treatment of this disease. Methods: Patients with scarring airway stenosis from 18 tertiary hospitals were enrolled between January 2013 and June 2016. The causes, site, and length of scarring airway stenosis were analyzed, and the efficacy of the interventional bronchoscopy treatment was evaluated. Results: The final study cohort consisted of 392 patients. Endotracheobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) was the most common cause of scarring airway stenosis (305/392, 77.8%) in Chinese adults with a high rate of incidence in young women. The left main bronchus was most susceptible to EBTB, and most posttuberculosis airway scarring stenosis length was 1.1-2.0 cm. The average clinical success rate of interventional bronchoscopy treatment for scarring airway stenosis in Chinese patients is 60.5%. The stent was inserted in 8.7% scarring airway stenosis in China. Conclusions: Scarring airway stenosis exhibits specific characteristics in Chinese patients. Interventional bronchoscopy is a useful and safe treatment method for the disease.