TY - JOUR T1 - Use of silicone stents for the management of post-tuberculosis tracheobronchial stenosis JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 1029 LP - 1035 DO - 10.1183/09031936.00020906 VL - 28 IS - 5 AU - Y. J. Ryu AU - H. Kim AU - C. M. Yu AU - J. C. Choi AU - Y. S. Kwon AU - O. J. Kwon Y1 - 2006/11/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/28/5/1029.abstract N2 - The role of bronchoscopic management in post-tuberculosis tracheobronchial stenosis is not well defined. To investigate the role of bronchoscopic intervention, including silicone stenting, in the management of post-tuberculosis tracheobronchial stenosis, the current retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary referral hospital. Under rigid bronchoscopy, 80 patients underwent ballooning, neodymium-yttrium aluminium garnet laser resection and/or bougienation as first-line methods of airway dilatation between January 2000 and December 2003 inclusive, and were followed for a median of 41 months. Silicone stents were required in 75 out of 80 (94%) patients to maintain airway patency. Bronchoscopic intervention provided immediate symptomatic relief and improved lung function in 88% of the patients. After airway stabilisation, stents were removed successfully in 49 out of 75 (65%) patients at a median of 14 months post-insertion. Three patients out of 75 (4%) eventually underwent surgical management. Acute complications included: excessive bleeding (n = 1); pneumothorax (n = 5); and pneumomediastinum without mortality (n = 2). Stent-related late complications, such as migration (51%), granuloma formation (49%), mucostasis (19%) and re-stenosis (40%), were controllable during a median follow-up of 41 months. In conclusion, bronchoscopic intervention, including silicone stenting, could be a useful and safe method for treating post-tuberculosis tracheobronchial stenosis. ER -