Surgical Treatment of Tracheal Stenosis / 대한흉부외과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Post-intubation injury is known to be the most common cause of tracheal stenosis. Treatment strategy for tracheal stenosis varies accoring to the extent of pathologic lesion. Focal mucosal lesion can be treated with laser photoablation, but full thickness tracheal lesion should be treated with resection and anastomosis. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From Aptil 1998 to May 1999, twelve patients suffering from tracheal stenosis as a complication of endotracheal intubation were managed by resection and end-to-end anastomosis in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Gyeongsang National University Hospital. RESULT: There was no operative mortality. Five temporary vocal cord paralysis and one wound infection occurred as early complications. During 18 months of follow-up, re-stenosis was not found. CONCLUSION: Tracheal resection and anastomosis can be considered as an excellent surgical treatment for tracheal stenosis which developed as a complication of endotracheal intubation.