Laryngeal release with slide tracheoplasty for long-segment congenital tracheal stenosis

Slide tracheoplasty is a standard treatment for long-segment congenital tracheal stenosis (LCTS). However, in severe cases of LCTS, aggressive divisions of inferior constrictor muscle from the thyroid cartilage and extensive circumferential dissection of the upper tracheal segment are often necessary to mobilize the upper tracheal segment enough to make an anastomosis, but they increase the risks of anastomotic dehiscence, recurrent nerve injury, and impaired deglutition. Alternatively, laryngeal release provides safe mobilization of the upper tracheal segment, minimizing dissection of the inferior constrictor muscle and preserving the lateral tissue pedicle without circumferential dissection. We successfully performed laryngeal release with slide tracheoplasty on six patients with severe LCTS, and report our findings. © 2013, The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery.