USE OF EXPANDABLE WIRE STENTS FOR MALIGNANT AIRWAY-OBSTRUCTION

The symptoms of progressive dyspnea and strider in the setting of mali gnant airway obstruction are severe and distressing. Conservative nebu lizer and oxygen therapy offer little relief, and conventional stentin g with T tubes requires a tracheostomy. In this article, we describe o ur experience with stenting in the treatment of malignant mediastinal disease using the Gianturco expanding metal-wire stents. The technique of placement is simple and the procedure was successful in all 21 cas es. Relief of strider was immediate and the dyspnea usually abated. Th ese benefits continued through the mean survival period after stenting of 134 days (range, 2 to 799 days). The patients required only brief hospitalization (2.83 days) before returning home or to the referring institution. It appears that expandable wire stents may offer a simple yet effective intervention in the palliative treatment of mediastinal malignancy.