[Complete tracheal rings - a rare and difficult diagnosis in 3 children]

Complete tracheal rings is a very rare malformation, that will show symptoms of inspiratory stridor in children. The diagnosis during rigid or flexible endoscopy is difficult as the wide-angle view of those endoscopes is good for making detailed diagnosis within the lumen but makes it difficult to judge the absolute width of the trachea. As this malformation typically involves major parts or even the whole trachea, you will not realize circumscribed stenotic segments. The more one must be aware, whether there is a paries membranaceus or the complete tracheal rings in the backwall of the trachea. By special 3D-displays of spiral CAT-scans the visualization of such malformations is enhanced. 2 of the three children we saw went well and are now without symptoms after growing up for some years. The third child is under 2 years old and still has mild symptoms. The surgical correction is recommended with a slide tracheoplasty, which is a demanding surgical option, that mostly must be performed with extracorporal oxygenization. Surgey should be performed in cases, that will not resolve during further growth.