Tracheal resection and reconstruction for post-tracheostomy tracheal stenosis treated with T-tube stenting for 10 years

Abstract

We describe the case of a patient who underwent tracheal resection for post-tracheostomy stenosis following T-tube stenting for 10 years. A 32-year-old female patient with a T-tube in the trachea was referred to us. She had brain surgery for intracranial hemorrhage 10 years ago and developed a post-tracheostomy tracheal stenosis, for which she had been treated with a T-tube. At the time of referral, she was ambulatory with a cane and otherwise independent in her daily life. We assessed her stenosis and determined that it was amenable to tracheal resection as a definitive treatment. We resected the tracheal stenosis including the stoma site and performed an end-to-end tracheal anastomosis. The anastomosis was widely patent at 6 months follow-up. Long-term treatment of tracheal stenosis with T-tube does not preclude tracheal resection as a definitive treatment. A careful review of airway stenosis for resectability on a case-by-case basis is imperative.