Progress for treatment of central airway obstruction with metal stents and silicone stents

The central airway obstruction seriously affects the quality of life of the patients and is a great challenge for all subspecialists.The field of interventional pulmonology has grown significantly over the past several decades, the placement of airway stents has become the forefront in the treatment of benign and malignant tracheobronchial disease, its indications are expanding to more complex or extensive tracheobronchial stenoses.Airway stent complications vary according to the types of stents and the types of obstruction.The article reviews the use of airway stents in the central airway obstruction to discuss the choice and outcome of the most commonly used airway stents. Key words: Central airway obstruction; Metal stents; Silicone stents