Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Bronchoscopy Reopens Narrowed Airway in 18-Year-Old Student Without Conventional Surgery
An 18-year-old student became very sick with an infection affecting his brain.
He needed a breathing machine with a tube for a long time.
The tube injured part of his airway, making the passage for air much narrower.
He later had trouble breathing and made a harsh, high-pitched sound when breathing.
Doctors found that about 70% of his airway was narrowed.
Instead of using conventional surgery, they inserted a small camera called a bronchoscope.
They used a tiny cutting tool and a balloon to open the narrowed area.
His airway stayed open during a check the next day.
He was able to leave the hospital the same day.
An 18-year-old student from Mizoram developed severe airway narrowing after prolonged ventilation for herpes zoster encephalitis.
A CT scan showed post-intubation stenosis causing nearly 70% narrowing across multiple airway layers.
Doctors at Manipal Hospital Mukundapur used a bronchoscope, electrocautery knife and balloon dilation to reopen the airway.
The minimally invasive procedure caused minimal blood loss, and a next-day check showed the airway remained open.
The patient was discharged the same day, avoiding surgery that could have required further ventilation and intensive care.
- Who
- An 18-year-old college student from Mizoram, treated by doctors at Manipal Hospital Mukundapur.
- What
- A bronchoscopic procedure reopened severe post-intubation airway narrowing without conventional surgery.
- When
- The airway procedure was performed in early September; his encephalitis and ventilation occurred in 2025.
- Where
- Manipal Hospital Mukundapur; the initial ventilation took place in Mizoram.
- Why
- Prolonged ventilation with an endotracheal tube injured and narrowed his airway, causing breathing difficulties and stridor.
- Patient
- 18-year-old college student from Mizoram
- Initial illness
- Herpes zoster encephalitis, complicated by aspiration pneumonia
- Complication
- Post-intubation stenosis after prolonged ventilation
- Airway narrowing
- Nearly 70% across multiple layers
- Treatment
- Bronchoscopic electrocautery followed by balloon dilation
- Outcome
- Minimal blood loss; airway remained dilated at next-day bronchoscopy
- Discharge
- Patient was discharged the same day after the check procedure