RESULTS
This study included 26 patients (10 males, 38.5%; 16 females, 61.53%). Patients ranged in age from 19–77, and the average age was 54.73 ± 14.44 years. The presenting symptoms of the 26 cases were studied, and the occurrence rates were arranged from high to low. These symptoms included a globus sensation, blood-stained sputum, hemoptysis, pharyngalgia, and no symptoms at all.
Between the 26 patients, 29 operations were performed and three patients underwent two procedures. Of the 29 cases, nine were treated with ALH excision and 20 were treated with bleomycin injections. All the surgeries in both groups were successful. No serious side effects, such as tumor ruptures and ulcers, occurred. Any mild bleeding could be controlled by gargling with ice-cold water.
The difference of classification (including capillary and cavernous) between the two groups was not significant. The size of the ALHs was not significantly different between the two groups based on contrast-enhanced CT. Because the data relating to ALH size had skewed distribution, the data was squared after logarithmic processing. After the data conversion, the data had a normal distribution and was analyzed using a t-test. We found the size of the ALHs was not significantly different between the two groups based on contrast-enhanced CT. Furthermore, no difference was found in the results in terms of gender, age, ALH size, classification and ALH location in the two groups (Table 1).
All the patients in the ALH excision group were cured and experienced no recurrence. The mean lumen constriction score in the chemotherapy group was 2.95. The score in the ALH excision group was higher than in the chemotherapy group according to a Mann–Whitney U test (Table1; Figure 2). Side effects such as alopecia, tumor ruptures, ulcers, and pulmonary fibrosis were not observed in this study.
In our study, three patients were treated twice. One patient was treated by CO2 excision after the bleomycin injection was unsuccessful. Two patients were treated with bleomycin injections again after the first bleomycin injection (Figure 3).