title: Severe respiratory distress caused by central airway obstruction treated with self-expandable metallic stents.
abstract: We investigate retrospectively the efficacy of self-expandable metallic stents (SEMS) for severe respiratory distress (SRD) in patients with central airway obstruction (CAO). Thirty three patients with CAO were treated with SEMS using fiberoptic bronchoscopy method. We found an intraluminal obstruction present in 7, extraluminal compression in 10, and combined stenosis in 16 cases. Tumor infiltration occupied more than 90% of the endoluminal diameter in 21, 70% in 9, and 50% in 3 cases. Obstruction was caused by primary cancer of lung in 23, thyroid in 5, and esophagus in 5 patients. Up to 3 stents per patient were placed. Double stenting (esophagus and trachea) was required in five patients. All patients exhibited symptomatic and arterial blood gas improvement. The mean follow-up was 65 (5 to 752) days. SEMS are useful for the treatment of SRD caused by CAO. The overall effect is related to the degree of tumor progression itself.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, Bialystok Medical University, Bialystok, Poland. robmroz@wp.pl.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Mroz
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kordecki
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Kozlowski
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baniukiewicz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lewszuk
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bondyra
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laudanski
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dabrowski
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chyczewska
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000150:complications; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014132:Trachea / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen