Tracheal release and thymus wrapping of the tracheoplasty anastomosis through mini-sternotomy

Despite breakthroughs in general thoracic surgery, tracheoplasty remains a technically difficult procedure. The authors performed tracheoplasty on a 75-year-old woman diagnosed with recurrent thyroid cancer and tracheal invasion. Through an L-shaped unilateral mini-sternotomy added to a collar incision, we performed tracheal mobilization and release followed by resection of six tracheal rings. The tracheoplasty anastomosis was then wrapped with the right lobe of the thymus. Using this procedure, tracheoplasty was successfully performed with no complications related to the tracheal anastomosis. Tracheoplasty performed through mini-sternotomy, with a combination of full tracheal release and wrapping with the right lobe of the thymus, may represent a novel, effective, and less-invasive surgical procedure.