Silicone Stents in the Management of Benign Tracheobronchial Stenoses

Management of Benign Dynamic “A-Shape” Tracheal Stenosis: A Retrospective Study of 60 Patients

“…In addition, because of the predominant dynamic component of the stenosis and the absence of concentric scarring, stent migration is frequent. For these reasons, DATS are frequently excluded from endoscopic management studies [12,[20][21][22]24].…”

“…However, some patients are not considered candidates for surgery because of the extent of the stenosis (> 50% of the trachea or multifocal involvement) or because of any surgical contraindication. Endoscopic techniques have been developed as an alternative treatment [12,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Dilatation, laser photo resection, and stent placement are the mainstay of endoscopic treatment strategy and afford excellent clinical results.…”

“…Dilatation, laser photo resection, and stent placement are the mainstay of endoscopic treatment strategy and afford excellent clinical results. An attempt to definitively remove the stent after 12 to 18 months is generally provided with variable longterm success (40% when the stent is placed for 6 months,70% when it remains in place for 18 months) [12,[20][21][22]. Restenosis after stent removal is reported in up to 80%, requiring permanent stent placement or second line surgery [20].…”

“…Restenosis after stent removal is reported in up to 80%, requiring permanent stent placement or second line surgery [20]. The major drawback of stents is the possibility of migration, which happens in about 11% to 20% of all cases [12,21,26]. Even if very rarely life threatening, stent migration requires repeated intervention for stent removal and stenosis management.…”

“…Patients suffering from DATS are frequently excluded from studies describing endoscopic management of BTS [12,[20][21][22]24]. As a matter of fact, DATS are not treatable with dilatation as there is no shrinking or scarring of trachea.…”