Tracheal reconstruction: in vitro and in vivo animal pilot study

In order to further address the problem of tracheal stenosis, an animal model was created to simulate both local and regional tracheal injury. An epithelial equivalent created from a fibroblast-collagen matrix was used to attempt to either inhibit or lessen the degree of tracheal stenosis that was evident in animal models. Preliminary data appears to show that the epithelial equivalent is effective in limiting and perhaps even abolishing the development of tracheal stenosis.