Customized Hinged Covered Metallic Stents for the Treatment of Benign Main Bronchial Stenosis

To address the limitations of silicone stents, we designed a hinged self-expandable covered metallic stent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the customized stents in clinical applications.

This was a retrospective analysis. Under conscious sedation and local anesthesia, the stents were implanted or removed by interventional radiologists, with fluoroscopic guidance.

Of 24 patients with benign main bronchial stenosis, stents were successfully placed in 21 (87.5%). The low-pressure balloon before dilation failed in 1 case (4.17%) of left main bronchial cicatricial stenosis. In 2 other cases (8.33%), stent placement was abandoned. Stents were successfully removed between 29 and 103 days after the procedure. After stent removal, the follow-up lasted for at least 12 months. Restenosis occurred only in 1 case (4.55%) owing to bronchial collapse 3 days after stent removal. Dyspnea occurred in another case (4.55%) at 2 months after retrieval; recurrence was confirmed using bronchoscopy, leading to a left pneumonectomy.

The described procedure is safe and easy to be performed and avoids the use of intubation, bronchoscopy, and general anesthesia.