title: Experience of expandable metallic stents for central airway obstruction.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate retrospectively the efficacy of expandable metallic stents (EMSs) for severe respiratory distress in patients with central airway obstruction. Twenty patients with central airway obstructions were treated with an EMS. An intraluminal stricture was present in 15 and an extraluminal stricture in 5 patients. Of the 15 patients with intraluminal stenosis, 11 exhibited symptomatic improvement. All 11 patients had tumor infiltration occupying less than 50% of the endoluminal diameter. The other four patients with intraluminal stenosis had tumor infiltration occupying > 50% of the endoluminal diameter and demonstrated no improvement. All five patients with extraluminal stenosis were improved. EMS is useful for an extraluminal stricture in the central airway and the effect of EMS for intraluminal stenosis is related to the degree of infiltration and of tumor progression itself.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tayama
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takamori
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mitsuoka
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hiraki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohtsuka
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aoyama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirouzu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D001982:Bronchial Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D004867:Equipment Design; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome