Use of a balloon-expandable metallic stent for treatment of nasopharyngeal stenosis in dogs and cats: six cases (2005-2007)

Objective-To determine outcome associated with use of a balloon-expandable metallic stent for treatment of nasopharyngeal stenosis in dogs and cats. Design-Retrospective case series. Animals-3 dogs and 3 cats. Procedures-All 6 animals had severe inspiratory stertor at initial examination. Two animals had no orifice present at the stenosis. Nasopharyngeal stenosis was diagnosed and stent size determined by use of computed tomography. A percutaneous transluminal angioplasty balloon premounted with a balloon-expandable metallic stent was placed over a guidewire, advanced through the stenotic lesion under fluoroscopic and rhinoscopic guidance, and dilated to restore patency. Results-All animals had immediate resolution of clinical signs after stent placement. The procedure took a median of 38 minutes (range, 22 to 70 minutes). One animal with a stenosis located far caudally needed the tip of the stent resected because of hairball entrapment and exaggerated swallowing. Both animals without an orifice in the stenosis had tissue in-growth requiring a covered stent. All animals were reexamined 6 to 12 weeks after treatment via rhinoscopy, radiography, computed tomography, or a combination of techniques. All animals lacked signs of discomfort; 5 of 6 were breathing normally 12 to 28 months after the procedure. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Transnasal balloon-expandable metallic stent placement may represent a rapid, safe, noninvasive, and effective treatment in animals with nasopharyngeal stenosis. If the stenosis is extremely caudal in the nasopharynx, serial balloon dilatation might be considered prior to stent placement. A covered stent should be considered initially if the stenosis is completely closed. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2008;233:1432-1440)