Treatment of persistent air leak with endobronchial valves.

Persistent pulmonary air leaks are usually treated conservatively with prolonged thoracostomy tube drainage. In case this approach fails, surgical revision used to be the only option. This case report describes the successful treatment of a 66-year old patient who developped a pulmonary air leak after cardiothoracic surgery that persisted despite attempted surgical repair and talc pleurodesis. The treatment was successfully completed with endobronchial valves thereby demonstrating that treatment with endobronchial valves doesn't only represent an alternative to surgery, but that it can also be successful in case surgical intervention fails.