Table 1. Patient characteristics overall and stratified by follow-up bronchoscopy status.
| Characteristic | All patients (N=134) | Patients with follow-up bronchoscopy (n=94) | Patients without follow-up bronchoscopy (n=40) | P value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 55.9 (15.5) | 56.1 (13.8) | 55.4 (19.1) | 0.812 |
| Female, n (%) | 77 (57.5) | 57 (60.6) | 20 (50.0) | 0.254 |
| Type of airway obstruction, n (%) | ||||
| Malignant | 86 (64.2) | 51 (54.3) | 35 (87.5) | <0.001 |
| Malignant airway obstruction causes, n | ||||
| Non-small cell lung cancer | 43 | 20 | 23 | |
| Small cell lung cancer | 11 | 8 | 3 | |
| Esophageal cancer | 9 | 7 | 2 | |
| Lymphoma | 5 | 3 | 2 | |
| Metastases to lung | 18 | 13 | 5 | |
| Benign airway obstruction causes, n | ||||
| Tracheal stenosis | 23 | 21 | 2 | |
| Tracheal/bronchial malacia | 10 | 10 | 0 | |
| Airway stenosis after lung transplant | 10 | 10 | 0 | |
| Pulmonary aspergillosis | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
| Other | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Type of f/u bronchoscopy, n (%) | ||||
| Flexible | – | 47 (50.0) | – | |
| Rigid | – | 6 (6.4) | – | |
| Both flexible and rigid | – | 41 (43.6) | – | |
| Symptoms at time of f/u bronchoscopy | ||||
| Asymptomatic, n (%) | – | 35 (37.2) | – | |
| Symptomatic, n (%)** | – | 59 (62.8) | – | |
| Dyspnea, n | – | 37 | – | |
| Cough, n | – | 14 | – | |
| Respiratory failure, n | – | 10 | – | |
| Excess secretions, n | – | 4 | – | |
| Dysphagia, n | – | 3 | – | |
*, P value comparing characteristics of patients with and without follow-up bronchoscopy; **, some patients had more than one symptom at the time of bronchoscopy.