Effective Delivery and Tissue Distribution From a Bronchoadventitial Drug Delivery Catheter for Use in Central Airways

PURPOSE: Diseases of the trachea and bronchi, including carcinoma, asthma and malacia, could potentially be treated with local, direct infusion of medications into the bronchial wall and adventitia. Cardiovascular adventitial drug delivery has shown circumferential and longitudinal distribution, but controlled and effective delivery and confirmation of cylindrical distribution in the bronchial adventitia has not been demonstrated. Our aim was to determine the ability of a micro-infusion catheter to target the bronchial adventitia and to measure distribution of bronchial adventitial infusions in vivo.