Bronchoscopic Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Tracheobronchial Amyloidosis: A Retrospective Analysis from China.

. To assess the value of bronchoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of primary tracheobronchial amyloidosis (TBA), in order to reduce misdiagnosis rates and improve prognosis. . Clinical data of 107 patients with TBA reported from 1981 to 2015 in China were retrospectively analyzed for clinical features, bronchoscopic manifestations, pathologies, treatments, and outcomes. . 105 of 107 TBA patients were pathologically confirmed by bronchoscopy. Main bronchoscopic manifestations of TBA were single or multiple nodules and masses within tracheobronchial lumens; local or diffuse luminal stenosis and obstruction; luminal wall thickening and rigidity; rough or uneven inner luminal walls; congestion and edema of mucosa, which was friable and prone to bleeding upon touch; and so forth. 53 patients were treated with bronchoscopic interventions, like Nd-YAG laser, high-frequency electrotome cautery, freezing, resection, clamping, argon plasma coagulation (APC), microwaving, stent implantation, drug spraying, and other treatments. 51 patients improved, 1 patient worsened, and 1 died. . Bronchoscopic biopsy is the primary means of diagnosing TBA. A variety of bronchoscopic interventions have good short-term effects on TBA. Bronchoscopy has important value in the diagnosis, severity assessment, treatment, efficacy evaluation, and prognosis of TBA.