Expandable wallstents for treatment of tracheoesophageal fistulas of malignant origin.
OBJECTIVE
To present our experience with endoscopic placement of esophageal endoprosthesis with self-expandable wallstents in patients with malignant tracheoesophageal fistulas.


METHODS
16 patients were retrospectively evaluated, in whom 16 stents were positioned at the esophagus because of tracheoesophageal fistulas: 12 of them suffered of malignant tumors of the esophagus and 4 of malignant tumors of the lung. All stents were placed with guide wire. We used self-expandable wallstents with internal silicon-basedcovering with flared ends, made of a stainless-steel alloy woven into a tubular mesh.


RESULTS
Stents were successfully places in all patients. No procedure-related mortality or significant morbidity occured. Two patients complained of transient swallowing discomfort, but none of them required any additional analgesia. Thirty-day mortality was nil. Immediate leak occlusion was obtained on erect contrast assessment after the procedure in all patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Self-expandable wallstents endoprosthesis in the esophagus for fistulas of malignant origin is an easy, well tolerated, safe and effective procedure without important complications or mortality.
Baltayiannis
N
N
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Metaxa Cancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
Magoulas
D
D
Bolanos
N
N
Anagnostopoulos
D
D
Kaya
A
A
Kontogiannopoulos
Ch
Ch
Nicolouzos
S
S
Georgiannakis
E
E
Kastrinaki
K
K
Kayiani
E
E
Chatzimichalis
A
A
D000368:Aged; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D004940:Esophageal Stenosis; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D014138:Tracheoesophageal Fistula / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*