Airway stenting: Technological advancements and its role in interventional pulmonology

Abstract

AS offers rapid and sustained relief of symptoms in most patients treated for malignant or benign CAO and can also be curative in itself in cases of benign tracheobronchial stenosis. In the past 30 years, this field has seen significant progress, from the misuse of vascular non-covered metallic stents to the development of silicone airway stents with an increasingly large panel of shapes and of hybrid, partially or fully covered, SEMS customized to the airways. This study aims to offer an overview on: (i) the respective advantages and drawbacks of these two main categories of devices; (ii) the main indications for AS and the rationale behind the choice of stent in each situation; and (iii) the main promises borne from the progress made in the field in the past few years, including the development of drug-eluting, biodegradable or patient-specific customized AS.

Keywords: airway stenting; central airway obstruction; interventional bronchoscopy; patient-specific stents; self-expandable metallic stent.