 |
Case Report
Treatment of extensive endobronchial granulation tissue with cryotherapy and coagulation after foreign body aspiration: A case report
1 MD, Resident in Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
2 MD, Pulmonologist, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, AZ Turnhout, Turnhout, Belgium
Address correspondence to:
Lyndon Sprenghers
Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven,
Belgium
Message to Corresponding Author
Article ID: 101531Z01LP2026
Access full text article on other devices
Access PDF of article on other devices
How to cite this article
Sprenghers L, Driesen P. Treatment of extensive endobronchial granulation tissue with cryotherapy and coagulation after foreign body aspiration: A case report. Int J Case Rep Images 2026;17(1):18–22.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Aspiration of foreign bodies is relatively uncommon in adults but may cause significant morbidity because of the formation of granulation tissue. This granulation tissue can cause complications, for example, airway obstruction, hemoptysis, and post-obstructive infections.
Case Report: We present the case of a 63-year-old man with dyspnoea and hemoptysis. Computed tomography (CT) thorax showed a foreign body in the bronchus intermedius. Upon removal of the foreign body, extensive granulation tissue was found, causing bronchial obstruction. The granulation tissue was successfully treated with cryotherapy and coagulation. After cryotherapy, the patient was admitted because of a post-obstructive pneumonia caused by airway obstruction due to necrotic tissue. This necrotic tissue was removed during repeat bronchoscopy.
Conclusion: Granulation tissue should only be removed when bronchial obstruction occurs. A stepwise approach is advised after removal of a foreign body when residual granulation tissue is present. Our case highlights this stepwise approach of conservative management with active follow-up. When bronchial obstruction is present, the granulation tissue should be removed. Interventional techniques such as cryotherapy or coagulation are effective. Cryotherapy causes necrotic tissue that will heal over time. However, this necrotic tissue can cause airway obstruction which can lead to post-obstructive pneumonia. This is a known delayed complication of cryotherapy and needs immediate re-intervention to clear the airways. Our case highlights the potential delayed complication of cryotherapy as well.
Keywords: Bronchoscopy, Coagulation, Cryotherapy, Foreign body aspiration
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Author Contributions
Lyndon Sprenghers - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Peter Driesen - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guarantor of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2026 Lyndon Sprenghers et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
