title: Expandable wallstents for treatment of tracheoesophageal fistulas of malignant origin.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Metaxa Cancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baltayiannis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Magoulas
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bolanos
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anagnostopoulos
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Ch
authors.initials: Ch
authors.lastname: Kontogiannopoulos
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nicolouzos
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Georgiannakis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kastrinaki
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kayiani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chatzimichalis
mesh_terms: 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*