Management of benign stenoses of the large airways in the university hospital in Prague, Czech Republic, in 1998-2003.

Background: Clinically significant benign stenoses of the large airways develop in about 1% of patients after intubation. The management of benign stenoses is not unified around the world, nor are there any accepted methods for their screening.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to describe and compare results of interventional bronchoscopy and surgical therapy of benign stenoses as well as to propose an algorithm for the management of this airways disorder.

[Treatment of benign stenoses of the large airways at the Faculty Hospital Praha-Motol during 1998-2003].

The authors present diagnostic and therapeutical results in the group of 80 patients with benign stenoses of large airways, who were hospitalized at the TRN ward (Department of TB and respiratory disorders) of the Faculty hospital Motol in Prague between the years 1998-2003. 62 patients sufferred from stenoses in cosequence of their tracheal intubation or tracheostomy. In 18 cases the stenoses resulted from other disorders or pathological condidtions (Wegener's granulomatosis, status post lung transplantation, etc.

[Results of treatment of malignant stenoses of the respiratory tract in a long term study].

Background: :The malignant stenoses complicate the course of the disease in about 50% of patients with lung tumors. Management of them can influence the quality of life of the afflicted. There is no general agreement about optimal methods of their therapy, of selection of the best methods and also there is only few data about survival of these patients.

[Benign stenoses of the large respiratory airways].

Background: Benign stenoses of main respiratory pathways develop usually in patients after intubation or tracheostomy. Incidence of such states is not known, they are frequently diagnosed too late, and there are different views of their treatment. In order to contribute to the improvement of our knowledge of this serious impairment we followed prospectively all patients with this diagnose at our department since March 1998.