Placement of covered retrievable expandable metallic stents for pediatric tracheobronchial obstruction

To evaluate the safety and clinical effectiveness of placement of covered retrievable expandable metallic stents in seven children with tracheobronchial obstruction.

Using bronchoscopic and fluoroscopic guidance, stent placement was performed in seven children (median age, 12 y; range, 2 mo-14 y). The stents were electively removed 6 months after placement or whenever there were symptom-producing complications. During the follow-up period, technical and clinical success, complications and related reinterventions, and long-term prognosis were retrospectively evaluated.

Stent placement was technically successful for a total of eight stents in all seven patients. Stent removal was also successful for six stents in five patients; two stents were removed electively 6 months after placement, and four stents were removed due to symptom-producing complications. Clinical success defined as ventilator weaning, extubation, or dyspnea improvement was achieved in all patients 1 week after stent placement. A possible infection source in one stent and abundant granulation tissue caused by three stents necessitated removal of four stents in three patients. During the mean follow-up period of 18.7 months (range, 1-31 mo) after stent placement, three patients died due to the progression of underlying cardiopulmonary disease or malignancy. There were no deaths directly related to stent placement or related complications.

Although the findings were based on a small series, placement of covered retrievable expandable metallic stents seems to be safe and effective for the treatment of pediatric tracheobronchial obstruction. Ventilator weaning, extubation, or dyspnea improvement was possible in all patients after stent placement.