title: [Fine mesh metal endoprostheses for treatment of extensive cervical and intrathoracic tracheomalacia].
abstract: The treatment of tracheal stenoses caused by tracheomalacia is mainly carried out by means of sleeve resection, tracheopexy with ring support or other tracheoplastic operative procedures. If patients cannot be treated by surgical operative strategies, conventional stents are usually used to dilate the trachea. The use of a self-expanding elastic metal prosthesis in 5 patients with tracheal airway obstruction caused by tracheomalacia proved to be a true alternative in the therapy of tracheobronchial stenoses. We report on the long term use of 5 patients with tracheal stenoses treated by implantation of elastic metal wallstents. The implantation of the stents resulted in immediate improvement in respiratory function in all 5 patients. None of the patients experienced complications secondary to the stent placement. The stents were well tolerated (long-time follow-up 26 months). The implantation of self-expanding metal stents type "wallstent" seems to offer alternative possibilities for the treatment of tracheomalacia.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-Nasen- und Ohrenkranke, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wilmes
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dienemann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jolk
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020680:Bronchoscopes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012086:Reoperation; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D013232:Steel; D015607:Stents; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D014140:Tracheotomy
chemical_list: D013232:Steel
vernacular_title: Feinmaschige Metallendoprothesen zur Behandlung der langstreckigen zervikalen und intrathorakalen Tracheomalazie.