title: Self-expanding tracheobronchial stents using flexible bronchoscopy. Preliminary clinical experience.
abstract: Endoscopic insertion of tracheobronchial stents is indicated to achieve patency of the airway in case of malignant or benign obstructing lesions. Until now, the placement of prostheses has required a rigid bronchoscope with specially designed insertion instruments. Self-expanding stents are currently used to treat stenoses of different hollow organs (vessels, urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract, bile duct, respiratory tract). We report the first case of a self-expanding stent implanted in the trachea and right main stem bronchus using flexible videobronchoscope under local anesthesia. The procedure was easy, safe, effective, and well tolerated. No complications occurred.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spinelli
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Meroni
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Cerrai
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001982:Bronchial Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D015607:Stents; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*