Clinical use of "double-barreled" nickel-titanium memory alloy stent placement for treatment of tracheal stenosis and fistula

Abstract

Objective To assess the efficacy of double-barreled nickel-titanium memory alloy stent placement for treatment of benign or malignant tracheal stenosis and tracheal fistula under local anesthesia and digital subtraction angiography(DSA) monitoring.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the profiles of 25 typical cases who received intubation via the nasal cavity or tracheal fistula (O2:2-4 L/min) followed by endotracheal placement of various n ickel-titanium memory alloy stents under DSA monitoring and laryngopharyngeal or tracheal local anesthesia between 2003 and 2011.Results Nickel-titanium stents,including 2 integrated inverted Y-shaped stents,a bullet-like membrane-coated stent,5 tubular membrane-coated stents and 20 tubular common stents,were successflly implanted in 25 patients.Stent placement was associated with marked improvement in dyspnea,and the grading reduced from Ⅲ-Ⅳ to 0- Ⅰ.Furthermore,pulse oxygen saturation (SPO2) was improved to (92.55±3.08)％ during spontaneous breathing as compared with (73.24± 3.07)％ previously during high-flow oxygen therapy (P＜ 0.05).Conclusion The double-barreled nickel-titanium memory alloy stent placement under local anesthesia and DSA monitoring is worthwhile for clinical application due to its safety,effectiveness and simplicity. Key words: Tracheal stenosis; Tracheal fistula; Stent; Interventional; Radiology