Surgical treatment for severe pediatric tracheobronchomalacia: the 20-year experience of a single center

Abstract Objective: In children with tracheobronchomalacia, surgical management should be reserved for the most severe cases and be specific to the type and location of tracheobronchomalacia. The goal of this study is to describe the presentation and outcomes of children with severe tracheobronchomalacia undergoing surgery. Methods: Retrospective case series of 20 children operated for severe tracheobronchomalacia at a tertiary hospital from 2003 to 2023. Data were collected on symptoms age at diagnosis, associated comorbidities, previous surgery, age at surgery, operative approach, time of follow-up, and outcome. Surgical success was defined as symptom improvement. Results: The most frequent symptoms of severe tracheobronchomalacia were stridor (50 %), cyanosis (50 %), and recurrent respiratory infections (45 %). All patients had one or more underlying conditions, most commonly esophageal atresia (40 %) and prematurity (35 %). Bronchoscopy were performed in all patients. Based on etiology, patients underwent the following procedures: anterior aortopexy (n = 15/75 %), posterior tracheopexy (n = 4/20 %), and/or posterior descending aortopexy (n = 4/20 %). Three patients underwent anterior aortopexy and posterior tracheopexy procedures. After a median follow-up of 12 months, 16 patients (80 %) had improvement in respiratory symptoms. Decannulation was achieved in three (37.5 %) out of eight patients with previous tracheotomy. The presence of dying spells at diagnosis was associated with surgical failure. Conclusions: Isolated or combined surgical procedures improved respiratory symptoms in 80 % of children with severe tracheobronchomalacia. The choice of procedure should be individualized and guided by etiology: anterior aortopexy for anterior compression, posterior tracheopexy for membranous intrusion, and posterior descending aortopexy for left bronchus obstruction.

Management of Bronchomalacia in Infants Post?Cardiac Surgery Using Synchronized Nasal DuoPAP: A Novel Technology

Background:Tracheo?bronchomalacia (TBM) is the weakness in the structural integrity of the cartilaginous ring and arch. It may occur in isolation with prematurity or secondarily in association with various congenital anomalies. Bronchomalacia is more commonly associated with congenital heart diseases. The conventional treatment options include positive pressure ventilation with or without tracheostomy, surgical correction of external compression and airway stenting. Aim: To use “synchronized” nasal Dual positive airway pressure (DuoPAP), a non?invasive mode of ventilation as an alternative treatment option for bronchomalacia to avoid complications associated with conventional treatment modalities. Study Design: Prospective observational study conducted in Army Hospital Research and Referral from Jul 2019 to Dec 2020. Material and Methods: We diagnosed seven cases of TBM post?cardiac surgery at our institute, incidence of 4.2%. Four infants were diagnosed with left sided bronchomalacia, 2 were diagnosed with right sided bronchomalacia and one with tracheomalacia. Those infants were managed by “synchronized” nasal DuoPAP, a first in ventilation technology by Fabian Therapy Evolution ventilator (Acutronic, Switzerland). Results: All seven infants showed significant improvement with synchronized nasal DuoPAP both clinically as well as radiologically. None of the infant required tracheostomy and discharged to home successfully. Conclusion: The synchronized nasal DuoPAP is a low cost and effective treatment option for infants with TBM. It could be attributed to synchronization of the breaths leading to better tolerance and compliance in paediatric age group

Clinical Characteristics and Associated Congenital Lesions with Tracheomalacia in Infants

Objective: To describe clinical presentation, bronchoscopy findings and associatedanomalies in cases of congenital tracheomalacia in infants (age <1y). Methods: Hospitalrecord review of 88 infants (mean age 8 mo, 57 males) diagnosed as having tracheomalaciaby flexible bronchoscopy between 2012 and 2015. Results: The predominant features werewheeze (57.9%), stridor (42.1%), cough (38.6%), pneumonia (29.5%) and collapse (12.5%).On bronchoscopy, malacia was observed in lower half of trachea in 51 (57.9%) infants.Synchronized airway lesions observed were laryngomalacia (30.7%) and bronchomalacia(3.4%). 15 (17%) infants had associated congenital heart disease and 21 (23.8%) requiredcare in intensive care unit. Conclusion: Wheeze,stridor and cough are the main symptomsin tracheomalacia. Laryngomalacia and congenital heart diseases are the most commonother anomalies associated in these infants.

Atelectasia lobar. Manifestación infrecuente de traqueobroncomalacia en adultos / Lobar atelectasis unusual presentation of tracheobronchomalacia in adults

Resumen Las alteraciones dinámicas del sistema respiratorio que condicionan colapso del lumen traqueobronquial durante la espiración favorecen síntomas inespecíficos o no atribuibles a una enfermedad respiratoria en particular. El diagnóstico preciso de la entidad clínica tiene implicaciones terapéuticas y pronosticas. La traqueobroncomalacia se diagnostica cuando existe una disminución en el lumen traqueobronquial mayor al 50% visible mediante exploración con broncoscopía. La etiología más frecuente en adultos es la forma adquirida y es rara la asociación con atelectasia.

Abstract Respiratory dynamic abnormalities that contributes with collapse of the airway luminal during expiration can cause nonspecific symptoms or not related to a respiratory disease. Accurate diagnosis of the clinical entity has therapeutic implications and is important for the prognosis. Tracheobronchomalacia is diagnosed when there is a decrease in the lumen tracheobronchial greater than 50% visible through exploration with Bronchoscopy. The main etiology in adults was the acquired form and association with lung atelectasis was rare.

Traqueobroncomalacia / Tracheobronchomalacia

A 10-years-old girl with recurrent wheezing was diagnosed as asthmatic. Her spirometry showed variable central airway intrathoracic obstruction. The bronchoscopy confirmed the presence of bronchomalacia.

Se presenta el caso de una paciente de edad escolar, quien por sibilancias recurrentes se trataba como asmática. Al realizar espirometría forzada se detectó un compromiso variable de vía central intratorácica. La fibrobroncoscopía confirmó la presencia de broncomalacia.

Tracheobronchomegaly with Bronchomalacia / 대한내과학회지

Tracheobronchomegaly, or Mounier-Kuhn syndrome, is a rare clinical and radiologic condition characterized by marked tracheobronchial dilatation and recurrent lower respiratory tract infections. It is thought to be due to a congenital anomaly. A diagnosis is typically made using computed tomography (CT) and bronchoscopy. Symptoms can range from minimal with preserved lung function to severe respiratory failure. Here, we present the case of a 50-year-old male who was referred to our hospital for chronic cough, sputum, and dyspnea. In addition, the patient showed tracheobronchomegaly with bronchomalacia on CT and bronchoscopy. This report describes a rare case of Mounier-Kuhn syndrome with a literature review.

Airway Expandible Metallic Stent Implantation in Children with Tracheal or Bronchial Stenosis / 소아과

PURPOSE: In adults, endoscopic tracheobronchial balloon dilatation and stenting have become valuable methods to establish and maintain an adequate airway lumen when tracheomalacia or neoplastic growth compromise the airways. But in children, only a few cases were reported due to technical problems. We report six children who were treated with stent implantation and describe the use and safety of airway stents. METHODS: Six patients with severe airway obstruction were treated. We investigated the underlying medical problems, stenotic site, symptomatic improvement and complications, and the size and location of stent. RESULTS: The median age of the six patients was 21 months. Three of them were mechanically ventilated and one had an endotracheal tube to maintain the patency of airway. Diagnoses were:congenital tracheal stenosis with or without bronchomalacia, granulation tissue formation after right upper lobectomy by bronchial carcinoid or after prolonged intubation, endobronchial tuberculosis, and airway compression by mediastinal undifferentiated sarcoma. Nitinol stents were implanted in the airway guided by bronchoscopy and fluoroscopy simultaneously. Three cases were placed in trachea, the others were in the bronchus. After stent implantation, all patients showed marked improvements of their airway obstructive symptoms. Four patients are doing well, although two expired due to underlying diseases. Four patients had granulation tissue formation around stents, but that was tolerable after removing the stent. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the use of expandible metallic stent implantation can offer safe therapeutic option even in extremely severe, life threatening and inoperable airway stenosis in children.

Flexible Bronchoscopic Finding of Congenital Lobar Emphysema

Congenital lobar emphysema is a rare disease and a cause of respiratory distress in early infancy. The most common location of pulmonary involvement is the left upper lobe. We diagnosed a case of congenital lobar emphysema in a 5-month-old female infant, who had a complex heart disease using flexible bronchoscopy. In spite of palliative heart surgery, respiratory difficulty and cyanosis did not improve and weaning from artificial ventilation was not possible. Chest X-ray and CT scan showed persistent hyperinflation in the left upper lobe. So, we performed flexible bronchoscopy. The findings showed no cartilage and patent bronchus during inspiration, but complete collapse during expiration due to a check valve effect in the left upper lobar bronchus. After excision of the involved lobe, the patient improved from respiratory distress. The observed airway patency during inspiration, and dynamic airway collapse on expiration suggest that bronchomalacia contributed to lung overinflation in this case.

A case of bronchomalacia due to endobronchial tuberculosis / 결핵

We report a case of localized bronchomalacia which was caused by endobronchial tuberculosis.