Cervical Tracheal Resection: New Lessons Learned

Complications After Tracheal and Cricotracheal Resection and Anastomosis for Inflammatory and Neoplastic Stenoses

“…Overall TRA/CTRA success rates (usually defined as a patent airway without respiratory distress during daily life) have been reported to range from 86% to 100%, 1-3,7-13,21-24 with a mortality rate between 0% and 3%. 14,15,21,22,24 Overall, good outcomes after TRA/ CTRA are also confirmed by the present series, where the decannulation rate of the entire cohort was 98%, with perioperative mortality less than 1%. However, potentially invalidating perioperative complications continue to hamper such major surgical procedures and significant efforts in preventing and treating them seem largely justified.…”

Serial office‐based steroid injections for treatment of idiopathic subglottic stenosis

“…Open cricotracheal resection can incur significant voice‐related consequences and is thus often avoided in this patient population, consisting primarily of females of childbearing age with significant social and professional voice demands. Furthermore, cricotracheal resection has a 1% operative mortality, and patients may require dilation or tracheostomy postoperatively . Tracheotomy eliminates the respiratory symptoms but carries its own morbidity and changes in quality of life, including decreased ability to perform an efficient Valsalva, need for secretion control and local hygiene, and changes in voice …”

“…Furthermore, cricotracheal resection has a 1% operative mortality, and patients may require dilation or tracheostomy postoperatively. 12 Tracheotomy eliminates the respiratory symptoms but carries its own morbidity and changes in quality of life, including decreased ability to perform an efficient Valsalva, need for secretion control and local hygiene, and changes in voice. 13 Franco et al proposed office-based steroid injection as an alternative treatment pathway for patients with idiopathic subglottic stenosis.…”

Complications from tracheal resection for thyroid carcinoma

“…The "chin to chest" position is routinely used by thoracic surgeons and it is kept till the 6th or 7th postoperative day (10,11,17,22). However, some authors suggest using this approach only in case of tracheal resection longer than 4 cm and in re-resections (23).…”