FEINMASCHIGE METALLENDOPROTHESEN ZUR BEHANDLUNG DER LANGSTRECKIGEN ZERVIKALEN UND INTRATHORAKALEN TRACHEOMALAZIE

The treatment of tracheal stenoses caused by tracheomalacia is mainly carried out by means of sleeve resection, tracheopexy with ring support or other tracheoplastic operative procedures. If patients cannot be treated by surgical operative strategies, conventional stents are usually used to dilate the trachea. The use of a self-expanding elastic metal prosthesis in 5 patients with tracheal airway obstruction caused by tracheomalacia proved to be a true alternative in the therapy of tracheobronchial stenoses. We report on the long term use of 5 patients with tracheal stenoses treated by implantation of elastic metal wallstents. The implantation of the stents resulted in immediate improvement in respiratory function in all 5 patients. None of the patients experienced complications seocndary to the stent placement. The stents were well tolerated (long-time follow-up 26 months). The implantation of self-expanding metall stents type 'wallstent' seems to offer alternative possibilities for the treatment of tracheomalacia.