Silicone Y-Stent Placement on the Secondary Left Carina

The silicone Y-stent has mainly been used for the treatment of lesions around the main carina, and only a few case reports have been published on the technique for the lesions around the secondary left carina (LC2).

We investigated the feasibility, efficacy and safety of a stenting technique using a silicone Y-stent for patients with airway stenosis around LC2.

Patients who underwent airway stent placement between December 2010 and September 2014 in a single center were retrospectively reviewed. Under general anesthesia, using rigid and flexible bronchoscopes, the airway lumen was re-established followed by Y-stent placement on LC2.

We performed 274 airway stenting procedures for 253 patients during the study period. Twelve of them (7 with lung cancer, 3 with esophageal cancer/carcinosarcoma, 1 with thyroid cancer and 1 with renal cancer) underwent a Y-stent placement on LC2. Respiratory symptoms were relieved in all patients. Six of 7 patients with supplemental oxygen, including the mechanically ventilated patient before stent placement, could be discharged without supplemental oxygen. The chest radiograph after the procedure showed increased lung volume in all 7 patients with partial or complete atelectasis. Median survival after stenting was 197 days at the time of data collection. Retention of secretions occurred in 1 and hemoptysis in another patient.

Silicone Y-stent placement on LC2 is technically feasible, effective and acceptably safe.