Surgical management of tracheal stenoses: personal experience with 105 cases

A 10-year experience with 105 tracheal lesions is reported. Of these, 61 were inflammatory stenoses (27 post-tracheotomy, 26 post-intubation, 6 mixed and 2 post-irradiation), 30 neoplastic stenoses, 12 traumatic lesions and 2 degenerative lesions. The therapeutic approach should consider the type, site, extension and multifocality of the lesion. In inflammatory stenoses resection followed by end-to-end anastomosis was performed: resection with Montgomery T-tube in 16, and laryngeal release in 3 since the resected portion was extensive. In neoplastic forms it is necessary to utilize techniques (Montgomery or laser) which permit the respiratory lumen to remain open since surgery is not always possible. As for traumatic lesions in 4 cases resection followed by end-to-end anastomosis, in 5 a simple suture of a lesion and in 3 intubation, was performed. This experience showed that the treatment of choice for tracheal stenoses is resection with primary anastomosis. The Montgomery T-tube prosthesis and laser therapy were also effective.