Advances in tracheal transplantation / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

ABSTRACT

The length of tracheal defect or stenosis exceeded 5 cm could not be treated by simple resection and end-to-end anastomosis of the remaining trachea. Various ways of tracheal replacement had appeared sequentially, such as radial forearm free flap with cartilage grafts, tracheal tissue-engineering and tracheal allotransplantation. Among these methods, tracheal allotransplantation displayed a better long-term result. In this review, we are focused on recent advances in tracheal allotransplantation, particularly on revascularization and reepithelialization of graft, as well as on the application of immunosuppressive agents.