Fræðigrein

Læknablaðið 2006; 92: 447-50

Diseases that cause progressive obstruction of the larger airways are commonly encountered in pulmonary medicine. Even slight narrowing of the larger airways can cause intense symptoms and sometimes be life-threatening. In recent years progress has been made in endobronchial intervention procedures. A range of technologies has been developed to obtain and maintain patency of the bronchial lumen in disease. This article briefly describes the current use of these methods in Iceland and in some detail the use of stents in airways. The placement of a bronchial stent is a fairly simple procedure that can, if properly indicated, significantly relief symptoms.