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Stents designed for deployment into the larynx to prevent opposing mucosal surfaces from touching, instead of providing 360 degrees of support as most stents do. These stents typically consist of a silicone (either clear or radiopaque) tube often with a wide T configuration, but some other keels resemble an umbrella; the stents are available in several sizes. Keel stents are mainly intended to prevent the laryngeal web from reforming; they are frequently used in children with congenital laryngeal web or laryngeal stenosis (i.e., atresia), to repair anterior glottis stenosis, and to prevent stenosis after hemilaryngectomy.
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