title: Long-term management of polychondritis with serial tracheobronchial stents.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.forename: Mio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasufuku
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iyoda
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shibuya
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iizasa
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
mesh_terms: 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*