An endobronchial stent is a tube made of silicone or steel that keeps the airway open when it is narrowed by an obstruction or stenosis.

An interventional pulmonologist inserts the stent using a bronchoscope, a thin, flexible tube passed through your mouth or nose, down the trachea and through the bronchi into the lungs. Stent placement is commonly performed in an outpatient clinic with conscious sedation.

Stents come in various sizes and materials. They may be temporary or permanent.