Biodegradable stents – a new option for benign central airway stenosis

<bold>Background:</bold> The study aimed to examine the contribution of using biodegradable (BD) stents to maintaining airway patency in benign airway stenosis (BAS). <bold>Methods:</bold> 17 patients treated with BD stent (Ella, DV Stent, ELLA-CS, Czech Republic) between 01 January 2015 and 28 February 2023 were included in the study. The clinical data was collected via patients' clinical reports. <bold>Results:</bold> In this group, 21 stents in different locations were implanted in 17 patients. The stents were implanted in the trachea (10/21, 47.6%), left main bronchus (8/21, 38.1%), intermediate bronchus (2/21, 9.5%), and left upper lobe bronchus (1/21, 4.8%). Causes for stenting were tracheomalacia (5, 29.4%), polychondritis (4, 23.5%), post-tracheostomy, (2, 11.8%), prolonged intubation (2, 11.8%), granulomatous polyangiitis (1, 5.9%), post-transplantation narrowing (1, 5.9%), scarring due to previous stenting (1, 5.9%), and foreign body (1, 5.9%). Ten localizations were previously treated with seven silicone stents and three metal stents. Acute complications were observed in eleven (52.3%) interventions (affecting six patients). Among them, there were three (14.2%) dislocations, two (9.5%) pneumothorax, two presence of fibrin in the stent, and one (4.7%) laryngospasm. The most common subacute 5 (23.8%) and chronic 11 (52.3%) complications were excessive granulation/scarring that was mechanically removed before placing the next stent. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Our findings confirm the feasibility and role of BD stents in BAS. Patients tolerated the BD stent well and had airway dilatation and long-term symptom relief, with a similar safety profile as earlier stents. Further prospective investigations are needed to evaluate the long-term benefits.