Please help explain

[kboyhappy]

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Hello all,

I am a pet owner and my dog just got diagnosed with a collapsed trachea. The vet I am seeing wanted to do a surgical procedure in which they place a stent or some sort of prosthesis in the trachea. If any of you kind vet students and graduates could please explain this procedure to me, that would be great... Please help a fellow professional out.... Thanks!

Also, if you could tell me the average success rate for such a procedure, that would be much appreciated. Thanks again

 

[PAThbrd]

The vet students arent going to be allowed to give you information about prognosis/success rates due to legal reasons and SDN policies. However, hopefully someone will be able to explain the procedure for you. Good luck.

 

[Bill59]

Endotracheal stents are used when medical therapy is not effective in controlling signs from a collapsed trachea. There are several stents on the market, basically a tube-shaped mesh that expands to support the inside of the trachea.

The exact procedure varies depending on the stent, but in general you use measurements from x-rays to determine the correct size of the stent (diameter and length). With the patient under general anesthesia, the stent is placed through the mouth into the trachea, using fluoroscopy for guidance. Once the stent is in the proper position, it is deployed to open it.

Long term prognosis is unclear because there's not enough literature out there yet. Tracheal collapse is a progressive disease and they will eventually collapse in front of and behind the stent. But overall about 75% do well long term and about 25% do poorly (perioperative mortality, stent complication such as fracture, no improvement in signs).

And of course there are specific factors in an individual patient that affect prognosis; the attending veterinarian is the best person to address specifics.

Here's a site with some pictures:
http://www.infinitimedical.com/p_stents_trachea.html#