Surgical management of tracheal tumours

The annual incidence of primary tracheal tumours in Sweden is less than 1 per million population. Five cases of malignant tracheal neoplasm treated with segmental resection and primary reconstruction are described. Exploration and mobilization of the trachea were performed via right thoracotomy. Suprahyoid laryngeal release was also done in two cases, using a cervicomediastinal approach. The length of resected segment in these cases was 6 and 7 cm. High-frequency positive-pressure ventilation was used in four of the five cases and greatly facilitated the operation. Recovery was uneventful. Adenoid cystic carcinoma was too extensive for extirpation in one case, but 4 months after radiotherapy a 7 cm tracheal segment with residual tumour was removed; 3 years later the patient is well. There was no stenosis or other late complication and no local recurrence in the long-term survivors. No vocal paralysis occurred. The two patients with laryngeal release had remarkably little and transitory dysphagia. Technical problems are discussed and conclusions are presented.     

Analysis of 40 patients who underwent tracheal resection due to benign complex tracheal stenosis

BackgroundBenign tracheal stenosis is a common complication in patients followed up in intensive care units. We aimed to analyze the etiology, diagnostic approaches, treatment methods for benign tracheal stenosis, and the predicting factors for complications after tracheal resection for benign stenosis.Material-methodForty patients who underwent tracheal resection reconstruction due to benign tracheal stenosis were analyzed retrospectively. Predictive factors for complications were determined by statistical analysis.ResultsThere were 23 patients (57.5%) in the intubation group, 11 patients (27.5%) in the tracheostomy group, and 6 patients (15%) in the subsequent tracheostomy group. Preoperatively, rigid dilatation was applied to all patients between 2 and 6 sessions (median = 3). Tracheal resections were performed in all patients after rigid dilatations. The mean of the resected segment lengths is 32.1 ± 8.8 mm. There was a statistically significant difference between preoperative bronchoscopic measurements, preoperative tomography measurements, and intraoperative measurements of the stenosis segment (?2 (2) = 71,500; p < 0.001). The patients' mean follow-up period was 27.4 ± 21.7 months (3–84). Mortality due to tracheal surgery and major anastomotic complications were not observed. The minor anastomotic complication rate was 12.5%, the non-anastomotic complication rate was 17.5%. The effect of resection length and surgical experience were found to be statistically significant risk factors for anastomotic complications.Conclusions: Rigid dilatation does not provide significant palliation in complex stenosis. Bronchoscopic measurements give closer results than CT measurements in the preoperative estimation of resection length. The risk of anastomotic complications increases when the length of the resection increases and when the surgical experience is less.     

Surgical treatment of congenital distal tracheal stenosis involving the carina

Untreated congenital stenosis of the distal trachea frequently results in lethal airway obstruction. A 3-year-old boy with segmental stenosis of the distal trachea and a 2-year-old girl with segmental stenosis involving the carina and the right main bronchus were treated successfully with resection and reanastomosis. Operative techniques, anesthetic management, postoperative care, and tracheal growth after anastomosis are discussed.     

Anesthetic management of patients with tracheal stenosis for endoscopic treatment: usefulness of laryngeal mask airway

We report two cases of tracheal stenosis for endoscopic treatment under general anesthesia with laryngeal mask airway. The tracheal stenosis of the two patients was so close to the glottis that endotracheal tube could not be inserted, and laryngeal mask airway was beneficial for maintaining airway and obtaining operating field. During the procedure, patients breathed spontaneously and we could support their ventilation easily and sufficiently. Endoscopic treatment of the airway obstruction by Nd-YAG laser associated with balloon dilatation and stent is an effective method of relieving the distressing symptom of asphylaxia, and laryngeal mask airway is considered to be useful for performing successful endoscopic procedure.     

Surgical approach to funnel-shaped congenital tracheal stenosis

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the results obtained by 2 different techniques of tracheoplasty in the treatment of long-segment, funnel-shaped congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) in 2 tertiary paediatric hospitals. METHODS: The clinical records of patients with long segment congenital tracheal stenosis during the period January 1990 to June 1999 were reviewed retrospectively. Age, gender, symptoms, imaging (x-ray, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or bronchography), endoscopic findings, associated anomalies, treatment, intubation time, postoperative treatment, intensive care unit stay, complications, hospital stay, evolution, and follow-up time were analyzed. Short congenital tracheal stenosis treated by resection and end-to-end anastomosis are not included. Results are given as mean +/- SEM. RESULTS: Ten (7 boys, 4 girls) of 14 patients with CTS had a funnel-shaped CTS. Mean age at treatment was 9.7 +/- 4.8 months (range, 3 days to 4.7 years). All of the patients presented with CTS affecting the distal third of the trachea and 4 of them extension to 1 main stem bronchus. They were treated by 2 different types of tracheoplasty: anterior costal cartilage graft (ACGT, 6 patients) and slide tracheoplasty (ST, 4 patients). All the patients treated by ACGT failed: 4 died and 2 required further surgery for restenosis. Causes of death were acute respiratory failure during surgery (2 cases) and anastomotic dehiscence (2 cases). The patients treated with ST are asymptomatic and doing well. Mean postoperative intubation time of the ACGT group was 35 +/- 25 days (10 to 60 days), whereas in the ST group it was 14 +/- 12 days (0 to 51 days). Mean hospital stays were 292 +/- 271 days (21 to 563 days) and 24 +/- 13 days (7 to 63 days), respectively. Mean follow-up time is 28 +/- 14 months (3 to 94 months). CONCLUSIONS: Surgery of long-segment congenital tracheal stenosis has a high failure and complication rate with vital implications in prognosis. Treatment should be done in a multidisciplinary basis by a highly trained and motivated team. Slide tracheoplasty seems to be the better option, although further multicentre studies should be conducted.     

Surgical treatment of extradural spinal cord compression due to metastatic tumours

The authors present a group of 23 patients with extradural spinal metastases who had undergone surgical treatment with different approaches, with reference to the anatomical site of the tumours. They report the results and discuss the criteria of the different surgical technical choices.     

Surgical management of congenital tracheal stenosis

Congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) is a rare but life-threatening disorder, particularly in neonates and infants. The stenotic lesions are commonly composed of complete rings of cartilage varying in length, location, and severity. A definitive diagnosis of CTS may be delayed because of the rarity of this disorder and thus its unfamiliarity among physicians, its variable onset time, its various clinical symptoms, and the diversity of associated clinical conditions due to the cardiovascular disorders that may accompany it. More than half of the patients who manifest clinical symptoms during early infancy show a long-segment stenosis. Long-segment CTS is problematic and challenging to manage. Over the last two decades several surgical techniques for long-segment CTS have been devised and developed, but no definitively advantageous surgical procedure has been established because of insufficient experience and the lack of large-scale studies. Although rib cartilage tracheoplasty and pericardial patch tracheoplasty have provided limited early to midterm success for infants with long-segment CTS, these procedures are associated with early and late complications, including granulation tissue formation, patch collapse, and restenosis necessitating reintervention. By contrast, slide tracheoplasty has given rise to better surgical outcomes. This procedure enables reconstruction of the stenotic trachea using native tracheal walls with preserved blood supply. The trachea is foreshortened by only one-half of the original stenosis, resulting in reduced tension on the anastomosis. Consequently, the technique has several advantages, including less formation of granulation tissue, satisfactory subsequent growth, and infrequent reoperation for restenosis. Slide tracheoplasty is currently recognized as the preferred technique for long-segment CTS. __________ This review was submitted at the invitation of the editorial committee.     

Surgical management of idiopathic tracheal stenosis

Most nonmalignant upper tracheal stenoses are caused by prolonged endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy, and idiopathic stenosis is uncommon. A 43-year-old woman complained of increasing shortness of breath during exercise over a year prior to admission. She had no significant past medical history, including endotracheal intubation. Bronchoscopy and tracheal tomography revealed nonmalignant circumferential upper tracheal stenosis 20 mm long. Single-stage surgical resection with cricotracheal anastomosis completely relieved her respiratory symptoms. Idiopathic tracheal stenosis is extremely rare, and the treatment of choice is surgery.     

Surgical management of idiopathic tracheal stenosis.

Most nonmalignant upper tracheal stenoses are caused by prolonged endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy, and idiopathic stenosis is uncommon. A 43-year-old woman complained of increasing shortness of breath during exercise over a year prior to admission. She had no significant past medical history, including endotracheal intubation. Bronchoscopy and tracheal tomography revealed nonmalignant circumferential upper tracheal stenosis 20 mm long. Single-stage surgical resection with cricotracheal anastomosis completely relieved her respiratory symptoms. Idiopathic tracheal stenosis is extremely rare, and the treatment of choice is surgery.     

Congenital tracheal stenosis due to complete cartilage rings with right pulmonary agenesis

A 2-month-old male infant with severe dyspnea was diagnosed as having right pulmonary agenesis at birth and was admitted to our hospital after tracheal intubation with an endotracheal tube of 3 mm in diameter. However, the trachea was too stenotic to place the tube in the proper position. Chest X-ray on admission showed pneumonia of the left lung. Preoperative chest computed tomography (CT) scan and bronchoscopy showed that from the level of 12 mm beneath the coricoid cartilage, the trachea tapered and continuing to the tracheal carina and that the smallest tracheal level was located 18 mm distal from the coricoid cartilage, the area of which was 4 mm2. His respiratory condition rapidly deteriorated in spite of intravenous administration of antibiotics and mechanical ventilation. Percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) was used to maintain his pulmonary function, and pericardial tracheoplasty was performed. Chest X-ray immediately after the operation did not show left lung reexpansion due to severe pulmonary edema. High-dose steroid pulse therapy was performed, but it was not effective. He died from acute respiratory failure due to infantile respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS) on postoperative day 3. The outcome in this case shows that it is very risky to repair tracheal stenosis in a patient with pneumonia using PCPS.     

退变性腰椎管狭窄症的手术治疗及其疗效

[目的]回顾性分析退变性腰椎管狭窄症的手术方法及其疗效.[方法]对本院1998年10月～2006年7月间81例行手术治疗的退变性腰椎管狭窄症病例的临床资料进行总结:其中男37例,女44例,年龄39～72岁,平均(59.4±6.3)岁;单节段狭窄48例,二节段狭窄25例,三个及以上节段狭窄8例;7例伴有L4 I度退行性滑脱,5例伴有腰椎退变性侧弯,26例存在病变节段的动力性不稳.根据是否辅以内固定分为两组:A组:43例,行后路减压后外侧融合;B组:38例,行后路减压后外侧融合加椎弓根钉内固定.临床疗效评估采用医生测评(Fischgrund JS标准)和患者自评(SF-36问卷)两项指标,比较两组的疗效.[结果]平均术后随访4.8年,总体临床优良率71.6%,其中内固定组优良率71.0%,无内固定组72.1%,内固定组与无内固定组差异无统计学意义(Z=0.0358,P>0.05);SF-36各项指标术后均有明显提高(P<0.01),内固定组与无内固定组差异仍无统计学意义(t=1.67,P>0.05).[结论] 退变性腰椎管狭窄症手术治疗可望获得良好的疗效,辅以内固定并不一定能提高临床疗效,是否辅以内固定应谨慎选择.     

Surgical treatment of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis with associated scoliosis

Spinal stenosis in combination with scoliosis frequently is seen in elderly patients. Patients typically present with a combination of symptoms attributable to neurogenic claudication and radicular pain, and symptoms of lower back pain. For patients in whom conservative treatment is not sufficient, surgical treatment can be done with careful consideration of the overall patient and his or her medical status. Surgical treatment is twofold; one purpose is to decompress the neural elements, the other purpose is to stabilize and realign the spine to as great a degree as possible. Appropriate balance of the spine at the end of the procedure is more important than the absolute amount of correction obtained. Stabilization and correction of the spine is done with pedicle screw-rod instrumentation and fusion, and the procedure must be done in an efficient and timely manner to involve the least amount of morbidity. There are two types of deformity typically seen, one is a degenerative lumbar scoliosis with no or minimal rotational deformity (Type I), and the other is a degenerative scoliosis often superimposed on a preexisting scoliosis with greater rotational deformity and greater loss of lordosis (Type II). Instrumentation and correction techniques differ for these two types of deformities, with shorter instrumentation procedures usually possible for the Type I deformity and longer instrumentation with sagittal plane reconstitution necessary for Type II deformity.     

Oxygen-jet ventilation during tracheal reconstruction in patients with tracheal stenosis

Intermittent jets of O2 at 60 psi via a small bore (5 mm), cuffed tracheal tube have been used relaxants to ventilate adult patients with tracheal stenosis undergoing surgical resection and reconstruction. Before resection, the tube was maintained proximal to the stenosis. During resection and reconstruction, the tube bypassed the resected gap into the distal tracheal segment. The technic allows the surgeon to mobilize, resect, and reconstruct the trachea around the small tube in an unhurried manner, and provides adequate ventilation and oxygenation throughout the procedure.     

The airway management using laryngeal mask airway and tracheal fiberscopy in a pediatric patient with tracheal stenosis after tracheostomy

A 9-year-old boy was scheduled for excision of tracheal granuloma which had developed at the tip of a tracheostomy tube. Instead of a tracheostomy tube, a 4 mm ID tracheal tube was inserted via the tracheostomy beyond the tracheal constriction because of rapid development of respiratory failure. General anesthesia was induced and maintained with sevoflurane and oxygen via the tube, and a size 2.5 laryngeal mask airway (LMA) was inserted without muscle relaxant. Spontaneous respiration remained. Under monitoring by fiberoptic tracheoscopy via the LMA, the tracheal tube was extubated carefully. An 8 Fr. suction tube was indwelled via the tracheostomy beyond the stenosis for oxygen supply. After sealing the tracheostomy, he could breath spontaneously through the LMA. During the excision of tracheal granuloma by holmium:YAG laser, fiberoptic observation was continued via the LMA, and the procedure was performed without any complication. We conclude that the tracheal stenosis can be managed using the LMA, continuous fiberoptic monitoring and additional option of keeping spontaneous ventilation.