Retrospective review of tracheoplasty for congenital tracheal stenosis

Congenital tracheal stenosis is a rare but life-threatening obstructive airway disease. It usually presents in early infancy and requires surgical intervention. This study is a review of our experience in the management of congenital tracheal stenosis in children at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore.

All children who had undergone tracheoplasty for congenital tracheal stenosis between January 1999 and December 2008 were included. The patients' medical records were retrieved from our database, and the demographic data, comorbidities, clinical presentation and management, surgery performed, postoperative complications, final outcomes and follow-up were reviewed.

A total of 11 children aged 12 days to six years underwent surgery for congenital long-segment tracheal stenosis, of which ten (90.9 percent) had associated cardiac and vascular anomalies and nine (81.8 percent) had left pulmonary artery sling predominance. Five (45.4 percent) children had associated bronchopulmonary abnormalities. All the patients underwent slide tracheoplasty with concomitant repair of congenital heart defects. Overall mortality was 45.4 percent (n is 5), including one late mortality due to an unrelated cause. With the exception of one, the follow-up of all patients was complete at this writing. One patient had mild residual tracheal stenosis and another had bilateral bronchomalacia.

This is the largest case series of congenital long-segment tracheal stenosis reported in Southeast Asia to date. Slide tracheoplasty with concomitant repair of cardiac lesions is currently the preferred management for long-segment stenosis. Management of such patients remains a challenge for clinicians and the patients' families, and requires a multidisciplinary approach.