Determination of Predictive Factors of Tracheobronchial Prosthesis Removal: Stent Brands are Crucial

Abstract

Objectives:

We sought to describe in a retrospective study our experience in the endoscopic management of tracheobronchial stenoses over 20 years and to determine prognostic factors of stent removal.

Methods:

We analyzed the medical records of 166 patients (111 male and 55 female) who underwent the placement of a prosthesis for all causes of tracheobronchial stenosis between 1990 and 2009.

Results:

Overall, 34% of the patients had their stents removed. The incidence of complications for the first stent was 0.08 per patient-month. One hundred five patients (63%) had no complications. In univariate analysis, stent removal was significantly linked with the stent brand. In multivariate analysis, taking into account the causes of stenosis, the stent brand appeared to be the only factor that significantly influenced stent removal. Finally, stenosis with more than 1 stent replacement was most prone to repeat endoscopies.

Conclusions:

Even though endoscopic stent placement is a relatively safe and effective treatment for tracheobronchial stenoses, particularly in cases with malignancy, complications led to stent removal in about one third of cases. The type of stent chosen is crucial.