A Successful Slide Cricotracheoplasty in Congenital Cricotracheal Stenosis

ABSTRACT

Slide tracheoplasty, as a treatment for congenital tracheal stenosis, has been recently reported to have good results and quite a number of advantages as compared with conventional tracheoplasties. The aim of this study is to report a new surgical technique modified from the slide tracheoplasty, "the slide cricotracheoplasty" for the congenital cricotracheal stenosis. A girl was born by Cesarean section and the diagnosis of esophageal atresia (Gross type C) and cricotracheal stenosis (30% of total length of trachea) was established. Esophageal atresia was successfully corrected at the 8th day of life. At the 31st day of life, corrective surgery for congenital cricotracheal stenosis, the slide cricotracheoplasty, was performed with success. Slide cricotracheoplasty is almost the same procedure as slide tracheoplasty except for two technical features. First the cricoid cartilage was split on its anterior surface. Second the split cricoid cartilage was fixed to pre vertebral fascia to maintain enough space to accommodate the sliding caudal segment of trachea because of the stiffness of the cricoid cartilage. We believe that the sliding cricotracheoplasty is a new surgical technique for congenital cricotracheal stenosis that has similar results and advantages as the sliding tracheoplasty.