Long-term management of polychondritis with serial tracheobronchial stents.
A 56-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for airway compromise. Relapsing polychondritis was diagnosed by bronchial cartilage biopsy. Bronchoscopy showed tracheobronchial malacia due to the disappearance of bronchial cartilage as a result of chondritis. Stent insertion using a Dynamic stent (Rüsch; Kernen, Germany), Ultraflex stent (Boston Scientific International, Colombes, France) and TM stent (Fuji Systems Corp, Tokyo, Japan) was repeated for more than 7 years. Dramatic improvement of dyspnea was obtained each time. The patient survived during this period without oxygen inhalation or mechanical ventilation before she suddenly died due to suffocation caused by difficulty of sputum discharge.
Nakajima
Takahiro
T
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
Sekine
Yasuo
Y
Yasuda
Mio
M
Yasufuku
Kazuhiro
K
Iyoda
Akira
A
Suzuki
Makoto
M
Shibuya
Kiyoshi
K
Iizasa
Toshihiko
T
Fujisawa
Takehiko
T
D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000209:etiology; D001982:Bronchial Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003645:Death, Sudden; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005549:Foreign-Body Reaction / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D006097:Granulation Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011081:Polychondritis, Relapsing / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D012008:Recurrence; D013183:Sputum; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects; D014133:Tracheal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*