Obstructive sleep apnoea as a late complication after tracheostomy

Obstructive sleep apnoea occurs consequent to partial or complete upper airway obstruction, caused mostly by the collapse of upper airway musculature. Drug-induced sleep endoscopy represents the 'gold standard' in identifying the obstruction site, from the palatal level to laryngeal entry. Breathing impairment in sleep caused by the collapse of cervical trachea after previous tracheostomy has not yet been described in the literature.

This report presents two patients with severe obstructive sleep apnoea, in whom pre-operative drug-induced sleep endoscopy revealed upper airway and cervical trachea collapse at the level of previous tracheostomy.

The female patient was successfully treated with resection of hypertrophic tissue of the tongue base via lateral pharyngectomy, and resection of the collapsed segment of the trachea with primary reconstruction of the trachea by end-to-end anastomosis. The male patient was recommended continuous positive airway pressure therapy because of serious co-morbidities and high operative risk.

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy should always be used for visualisation of anatomical structures below the vocal folds in patients with a history of cervical trachea surgery. These two cases demonstrate the importance of drug-induced sleep endoscopy in planning conservative and surgical treatments, contributing significantly to operative success.