Treatments for complications of tracheal sleeve resection for papillary thyroid carcinoma with tracheal invasion

ObjectiveTo evaluate the treatment, prognosis, and complications of differentiated thyroid carcinoma with tracheal invasion. We report our outcomes from a single center using a tracheal sleeve resection.Patients and methodsRetrospective analysis of clinicopathological data on tracheal sleeve resection in patients with thyroid cancer and accompanying tracheal invasion from January 2009 to July 2012. The postoperative complications were analyzed and the literature was reviewed.ResultsNineteen patients with thyroid carcinoma and accompanying tracheal invasion underwent tracheal sleeve resection followed by end-to-end anastomosis. The median survival time was 22 months. Five patients (5/19) developed postoperative complications. The major complications included bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (2 cases), tracheal anastomotic stenosis (1 case), esophageal fistula (2 cases), and anastomotic dehiscence (2 cases). The treatment for these complications included partial posterior cordectomy by CO2 laser for bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis; CO2 laser treatment followed by postoperative external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) (20 Gy/10 times) for tracheal anastomotic stenosis, femoral anterior dissociative flap to repair esophageal fistula, and a T-tube positioned in the wound in cases of anastomotic dehiscence.ConclusionsTracheal sleeve resection remain a safe option with less morbidity and perioperative complications for the management of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma accompanied by intratracheal invasion.