Bilateral choanal atresia diagnosed in a 3-month-old female baby: a case report

Bilateral choanal atresia is a congenital anomaly where a newborn baby is born with bilateral imperforate posterior nares. In most cases, the diagnosis is established immediately after birth due to respiratory distress since newborn babies are obligate nasal breathers till 6 weeks of life. Establishing the diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion as it is characterized by paradoxical cyclical cyanosis. Delayed diagnosis of bilateral choanal atresia is a rare encounter in clinical practice. We are hereby reporting a 3-month-old baby with bilateral choanal atresia, and perhaps it is the third latest diagnosed case of bilateral choanal atresia in Tanzania.

We present a 3-month-old female baby who was attended to at our department with a history of difficulty in breathing characterized by bilateral nasal obstruction since birth. The baby was admitted for 3 weeks due to episodes of respiratory distress after birth. She was thereafter discharged from the hospital and attended various hospitals without relief since the baby was managed as a case of adenoid hypertrophy.

The patient underwent bilateral transnasal endoscopic choanal atresia release with stenting under general anesthesia in the operating room. Postoperatively, she was kept on a nasal decongestant, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, and an analgesic. Regular suctioning was done during routine follow-up.

Clinicians must have a high index of suspicion to establish the diagnosis of bilateral choanal atresia in newborn babies. Immediate surgical perforation of the atretic choanae with or without stenting remains to be the treatment of choice.