Tracheal agenesis - a report of two cases

Tracheal agenesis is a rare and in most cases lethal anomaly. It may be suspected because of lack of audible crying, and is often diagnosed right after birth with water soluble contrast medium injected into the oesophagus. We report two cases which were identified at our institution in the last 10 years. Imaging studies and medical records were reviewed in both cases. Patient number one was studied with a single slice computed tomography, patient number two with multislice detector computed tomography (MDCT) with 64 rows. The advantage of MDCT in demonstrating the rare condition of tracheal agenesis and with the same examination showing other coexisting anomalies is discussed.

MDCT with 64 rows is an excellent diagnostic tool in diagnosing tracheal agenesis and showing other coexisting anomalies at the same time.