A SIMPLIFIED INSERTION TECHNIQUE FOR TRACHEOBRONCHIAL SILICONE STENTS

In many patients with central airway obstruction due to extrinsic compression or malacia, insertion of tracheobronchial stents can provide effective and permanent relief. Of the various types of prostheses described, the silicone Dumon-Artemis stents (Medicore, Brussels, Belguim) are probably the most efficient. The use of an elegant and safe specially designed stent introducer system combined with a special bronchoscope is proposed for insertion by Dumon. This combined stent insertion system, however, is relatively expensive and cumbersome, especially for centers where relatively limited numbers of patients are treated. We propose an alternative, simplified insertion technique of silicone Dumon-Artemis stents, which was proven safe and efficient in our series of patients.