Surgical Outcomes of Post Intubational or Post Tracheostomy Tracheal Stenosis: Report of 18 Cases in Single Institution

Purpose: Tracheal resection and end-to end anastomosis (TRE) is known as standard treatment of tracheal stenosis (TS) and there are various methods to keep ventilation during operation. We reviewed ventilation methods and postoperative outcomes in patients with postintubational (PI) or posttracheostomy (PT) TS. Patients and Methods: From May 2006 to May 2013, 18 patients with PI or PTTS underwent TRE in our hospital. All patients' records were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The mean duration of intubation and tracheostomy were 14.2 days (range: 2 to 27 days) and 114.9 days (range: 43 to 215 days). The location of stenosis was tube cuffs (n = 10), stoma (n = 6) and double stenosis involving cuff and stoma (n = 2). The mean diameter of stenotic lesion was 5.4 mm (range: 2 to 9 mm. ECMO (n = 4) was performed in critical stenosis. Of two cases with double stenosis, one underwent preoperative endotracheal balloon dilatation and the other underwent TRE with cricoplasty. The overall complication rate was 11.8%. The mean follow-up duration was 14.0 months (range: 0.9 to 56.3 months). Conclusion: Comparing with the literatures, TS treated by TRE in our hospital has shown satisfactory outcomes. To maintain appropriate ventilation for critical stenosis, ECMO could be one of safe methods.