title: Management of benign tracheal strictures caused by tracheostomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of radiologic management for the treatment of benign tracheal strictures caused by tracheostomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed of 13 patients with benign tracheal stricture caused by tracheostomy that was treated with balloon dilation or stent placement. Balloon dilation had initially been performed. Stent placement was indicated in patients who showed a poor response to balloon dilation. Outcomes were assessed according to the following variables: technical and clinical success, Hugh-Jones classification scale before and after the procedures, and complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Balloon dilation and stent placement were technically successful in all patients. Nine of the 13 patients (69 %) showed no response to balloon dilation, and the remaining the four patients showed a positive response to initial balloon dilation. Six of the nine (67 %) patients showed a good response to temporary stent placement and required no further treatment. Mean Hugh-Jones grades improved from 3.6 ± 0.8 to 1.8 ± 1.1 (P < 0.001). During a follow-up period of 2.6-40.8 months (mean 16.5), overall clinical success was achieved in 10 patients (77 %) after a single balloon dilation (n = 4) and temporary stent placement (n = 6). The remaining three patients with clinical failure underwent tracheal resection (n = 3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Radiologic management can be a safe and effective therapeutic option for treating benign tracheal stricture caused by tracheostomy. Temporary stent placement can be effective in patients with symptoms recurring soon after balloon dilation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 388-1, Poongnap 2-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 138-736, Republic of Korea, jhparkz@amc.seoul.kr.
authors.forename: Jung-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jin Hyoung
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ho-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Ji Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Heung Kyu
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Ko
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000497:Alloys; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006801:Humans; D007472:Iohexol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015641:Radiography, Interventional; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D003287:Contrast Media; C013616:nitinol; D007472:Iohexol; C038192:iopromide