Outcomes of bronchial artery embolization for the management of hemoptysis.

Introduction:   Hemoptysis is an alarming symptom that requires immediate investigation and management. Bronchial artery embolization (BAE) is a minimally invasive procedure that has become the treatment of choice of recurrent and massive hemoptysis.

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of BAE for management of recurrent and/or massive hemoptysis.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out of the medical records of 46 patients who were hospitalized in our department of pneumology in Mohamed Taher Maamouri hospital for hemoptysis and who underwent bronchial arteriography (BA) for the purpose of transarterial embolization.

Results: The most frequent causes of hemoptysis included idiopathic bronchiectasis (32.6%), pulmonary tumors (26%) and tuberculosis (8.6%) Embolization was successfully performed in 97.5% of cases. Immediate cessation of haemoptysis was achieved in 95%. Recurrence of haemoptysis was noted in 12% of cases. No major complication involving the vital or the functional prognosis, related to BAE was noted.   Conclusions: Our study confirms the safety and the efficacy of the BAE for management of massive and/or recurrent hemoptysis.