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not only a palliative management to bronchial obstruction but also avoided pneumonectomy.

Recent studies support the use of such interventional resection methods, as they may result in
a more conservative surgical resection.

18. Karanikas M, Touzopoulos P. Mitrakas A, Zezos P, Zarogoulidis P, Machairiotis N, Efremidou E,

Liratzopoulos N, Polychronidis A, Kouklakis G. Benign post-radiation rectal stricture treated
with endoscopic balloon dilation and intralesional triamcinolone injection. Case Reports In

Gastrenterology 2012; 6:583–589. DOI: 10.1159/000343159 Epub 2012 Sep 18, PMID:
23271987 [PubMed] [Scopus]

Abstract: Post-radiation stricture is a rare complication after pelvis irradiation, but must be in
the mind of the clinician evaluating a lower gastrointestinal obstruction. Endoscopy has gained

an important role in chronic radiation proctiti with several therapeutic options for management

of intestinal strictures. The treatment of rectal strictures has been limited to surgery with high
morbidity and mortality. Therefore, a less invasive therapeutic approach for benign rectal
strictures, endoscopic balloon dilation with or without intralesional steroid

injection, has become a common treatment modality. We present a case of benign post-
radiation rectal stricture treated successfully with balloon dilation and adjuvant

intralesional triamcinolone injection. A 70-year
old woman presented to the emergency room complaining for 2 weeks of diarrhea and

meteorism, 11 years after radiation of the pelvis due to adenocarcinoma of the uterus.
Colonoscopy revealed a stricture at the rectum and multiple endoscopic biopsies were

obtained from the stricture. The stricture was treated with endoscopic balloon dilation
and intralesional triamcinolone injection. The procedure

appears to have a high success rate and a very low complication rate. Histologic exami
nation of the biopsies revealed nonspecific inflammatory changes of the rectal mucosa

and no specific changes of the mucosa due to radiation. All biopsies were negative for
malignancy. The patient is stricture-free 12 months post‐treatment.

19. Zarogoulidis P, Kontakiotis T, Tsakiridis K, Karanikas M, Simoglou C, Porpodis K, Mitrakas A,

Esebidis A, Konoglou M, Katsikogiannis N, Zervas V, Aggelopoulou C, Mikroulis D, Zarogoulidis
K. Difficult Airway and Difficult Intubation in Post-Intubation Tracheal Stenosis: a case report

and review of the literature. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management 2012;8:279-286. doi:
10.2147/TCRM.S31684. Epub 2012 Jun 27. PMID: 22802693 [PubMed] [Scopus]

Abstract: Management of a "difficult airway" remains one of the most relevant and challenging

tasks for anesthesiologists and pulmonary physicians. Several conditions, such as

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