Symptomatic Improvement in Cicatricial Pemphigoid of the Trachea Achieved with Laser Ablation Bronchoscopy

Cicatricial pemphigoid (CP) with tracheal involvement is a rare and potentially deadly condition. Here, we report the first case in which Nd:YAG laser (1064nm) laser ablation bronchoscopy was used to treat CP with tracheal involvement. Our patient is a 71-year-old male with a history of CP refractor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Southwest journal of pulmonary & critical care Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 8 - 11
Main Authors:	Elizabeth Benge MD, Vincent Tran MD, Nazanin Sheikan MD, Sapna Bhatia MD, Yi McWhorter DO, John Collier MD, Arnold Chung MD
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Arizona Thoracic Society 18-01-2022
Subjects:	bronchoscopy cicatricial pemphigoid dyspnea laser nd:yag pemphigus rituximab shortness of breath trachea treatment
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Summary:	Cicatricial pemphigoid (CP) with tracheal involvement is a rare and potentially deadly condition. Here, we report the first case in which Nd:YAG laser (1064nm) laser ablation bronchoscopy was used to treat CP with tracheal involvement. Our patient is a 71-year-old male with a history of CP refractory to medical therapy affecting his trachea who presented to the emergency department with dyspnea. He ultimately underwent bronchoscopy with Nd: YAG laser (1064nm) laser ablation, which resulted in a temporary alleviation of his respiratory symptoms. A repeat laser ablation was planned in hopes of prolonging the patient’s remission, but due to interval changes in the patient’s airway anatomy, it was deemed unsafe. While our patient’s uniquely advanced disease was not amenable to further laser-mediated intervention, it is possible that patients with less advanced disease may experience better outcomes with similar therapy. This case shows the promise laser ablation could hold for patients with tracheal cicatricial pemphigoid.
ISSN:	2160-6773
DOI:	10.13175/swjpcc058-21