First experience with biodegradable airway stents in children.

Purpose: We here report our experience with biodegradable polydioxanone stents for tracheal narrowing in children.

Description: Eleven custom-made polydioxanone stents were implanted in 4 patients with airway narrowing due to external compression or intrinsic collapse. The median stent diameter was 9 mm (range, 6 to 14 mm) and median length was 15 mm (range, 13 to 70 mm).

Severe bronchomalacia treated by combination of Nuss procedure and aortopexy: an unusual therapy combination.

Aortopexy is the treatment of choice for clinically significant tracheobronchomalacia from external vascular compression. When a marked chest depression is present, aortopexy may be less effective. We report 2 patients with pectus excavatum and vascular compression of the trachea who, despite their young age, benefited from combined Nuss bar insertion and aortopexy.

Long-segment tracheal stenosis: slide tracheoplasty and a multidisciplinary approach improve outcomes and reduce costs.

Objective: Long-segment tracheal stenosis is rare, life-threatening, difficult, and expensive to treat. Management remains controversial. A multidisciplinary tracheal team was formed in 2000 to deal with a large number of children with airway problems referred for management.

The management of congenital tracheal stenosis.

This paper reviews current concepts and results in the management of congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS). Diagnostic options are considered and the requirements for successful management defined. Chief amongst these is a multi-disciplinary approach with individualised patient management.