Treatment of Congenital Choanal Atresia via Transnasal Endoscopic Method

Congenital choanal atresia (CCA) is a very rare abnormality of the nose, but in the case of bilateral presence, it becomes a life-threatening malformation. Various surgical treatment options, such as transpalatal, transseptal, and open rhinoplasty techniques, as well as the transnasal approach, have been defined for the repair of CCA. In this study, the authors intended to evaluate the outcomes of transnasal endoscopic surgery for CCA, and stent implementation's impact on surgical success.

Patients who were admitted to the Otorhinolaryngology Department of Gaziantep University and patients who had not undergone CCA surgery before were included in the study. Patients who underwent transnasal endoscopic choanal atresia surgery (TECAS) were advised to have regular nasal endoscopic examinations performed at check-ups; after a 6-month follow-up period, surgical results were evaluated concerning whether stenosis had occurred or not.

Of the 48 patients who underwent TECAS after a minimum 6-month follow-up period, 34 of patients revealed no stenosis, so the overall surgical success rate was 70.8%. Fourteen (29.2%) patients who underwent TECAS developed stenosis and required revision surgery.

Transnasal endoscopic choanal atresia surgery is the most preferred approach for CCA repair and has many advantages, such as excellent vision, shorter operative time, minimal bleeding, and minimum complication. Despite advances in endovision systems and surgical instruments, stenosis is the most challenging problem after TECAS, so new treatment strategies should be developed to prevent stenosis.