Endoscopic endonasal surgery in choanal atresia

Twenty-seven cases of choanal atresia operated between 1979 and 2000 have been reported from 4 different institutions (19 females, 8 males, age of first surgical procedure ranging from 2 days to 35 years). Of these 27 cases, 22 were previously untreated. The outcomes for 19 of these new cases were available for the present report. Bilateral atresias were somewhat more frequent (15 versus 12) and associated anomalies were present in 10 out of 27 patients. Details about the types of atresia, associated anomalies, surgical techniques, duration of stenting and outcomes are given together with a theoretical review on choanal atresia.