Novel bronchoscopic technique using endoscopic scissors for retrieval of a 12-year-old silicone airway stent placed for a post-intubation tracheal stenosis: A case report

Silicone tracheal stents are widely used in the management of benign airway stenosis; however, long-term positioned stents may lead to delayed complications. We report a case of a 28-year-old man who underwent silicone tracheal stent placement 12 years back for post-intubation tracheal stenosis at another centre. The patient subsequently was lost to follow-up, and he was referred to our centre for surgical removal of the stent. However, the patient was unwilling for surgery considering its complex nature. Current bronchoscopy revealed a silicone stent in the upper trachea with extensive granulation tissue, resulting in significant airway obstruction. The patient was taken up for bronchoscopic stent removal under general anaesthesia using suspension laryngoscopy. The adherent stent necessitated the use of rigid endoscopic scissors to cut the anterior aspect of the stent in order to dislodge it, following which the stent was removed using rigid forceps. This case demonstrates that even long-standing silicone stents with extensive granulation tissue can be safely removed using a carefully planned multimodal bronchoscopic approach.