Surgical repair of tracheostenosis

Tracheostenosis continues to be a significant health problem in the United States. Many patients are rendered dependent on a tracheotomy tube unless the stenosis is surgically corrected. Two basic approaches to surgical correction of tracheostenosis are expansion tracheoplasty versus tracheal resection and reanastomosis. This article discusses the indications of the 2 different treatment approaches and the patient selection for each. We will detail the surgical technique, pitfalls, and postoperative care.