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Laryngeal and tracheal stents in children

Diego Preciado1, George Zalzal

  • 1Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA. dpreciad@cnmc.org

Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery
|January 17, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Laryngeal and tracheal stents are primarily used as supportive devices after reconstructive surgery for pediatric airway stenosis. Their use as a standalone treatment is limited due to complications, mainly for symptom relief in non-surgical candidates.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Otolaryngology
  • Airway Surgery
  • Biomaterials in Medicine

Background:

  • Benign pediatric laryngotracheal disorders, particularly airway stenosis, present significant management challenges.
  • Laryngeal and tracheal stents have been utilized in the treatment of these conditions.
  • Limited advancements in novel stent designs for laryngeal stenosis have occurred recently.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the application of laryngeal and tracheal stents in pediatric benign airway stenosis.
  • To evaluate the role of stents in laryngotracheal reconstructive surgery.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on laryngeal and tracheal stent usage in pediatric airway stenosis.
  • Analysis of the characteristics and applications of commonly used stents, such as Aboulker stent and Montgomery T-tube.
  • Evaluation of stents as a primary treatment versus adjunctive postoperative devices.

Main Results:

  • Traditional stents like the Aboulker stent and Montgomery T-tube remain mainstays in laryngotracheal reconstructive surgery.
  • Stent use as a primary treatment for tracheal obstruction offers only short-term palliation due to high complication rates.
  • Stent application as a sole primary treatment should be reserved for patients unsuitable for formal surgery.

Conclusions:

  • Laryngeal and tracheal stents are most effective as postoperative adjuncts.
  • Their primary role is to support healing after reconstructive surgery for benign laryngotracheal stenosis.
  • Stents are not ideal as a primary standalone treatment for airway stenosis.
Abstract

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