title: Polyflex stent: is it radiopaque enough?
abstract: We report a case of tracheal stenosis in which a migrated Polyflex (Rusch AG, Germany) stent entered the right main bronchus but could not be identified on the chest radiograph. The stent was identified at bronchoscopy and removed under general anaesthesia. Polyflex stents are radiopaque but may not always show up on radiograph. We recommend reliance on clinical symptoms rather than imaging to diagnose migration. If stent migration is suspected then imaging should include thoracic inlet films that incorporate a lateral view.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Glasgow Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust, Glasgow, UK. mandar_jog@hotmail.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jog
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: McGarry
mesh_terms: D001980:Bronchi; D001995:Bronchography / Q000379:methods; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015607:Stents; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media