Safe reliable atraumatic replacement of misplaced paediatric tracheostomy tubes.

Objective: Displacement of tracheostomy tubes, especially soon after insertion has a high morbidity and mortality rate. We present a safe atraumatic reliable method of tracheostomy tube replacement.

Setting: Tertiary paediatric centre.

Surgical aspects of tracheostomy in children.

Tracheostomy involves the surgical formation of a stoma between the trachea and the skin. It is classically thought of as a treatment to alleviate airway obstruction; however, its clinical applications are varied and include long-term ventilatory support, being an aid in pulmonary toilet and use as a covering procedure during airway surgery. In this article, we review the surgical aspects of tracheostomy, including preoperative considerations, tracheostomy tube choice, operative technique and postoperative complications.

Tracheal cartilaginous sleeve with cricoid cartilage involvement in Pfeiffer syndrome.

Pfeiffer syndrome is one of a group of craniosynostosis syndromes in which rare tracheal anomalies have been described. This group of patients have a poor prognosis, and mortality can be related to airway complications and respiratory distress. We report a case of type II Pfeiffer syndrome with tracheal cartilaginous sleeve and cricoid cartilage involvement.

Langerhans' cell histiocytosis in the paediatric population: presentation and treatment of head and neck manifestations.

Langerhans' cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare paediatric disease of unknown etiology affecting 1 to 5 children per 1 million each year. It is characterized by the idiopathic proliferation of Langerhans' cells. The clinical spectrum of disease is quite varied, ranging from a solitary eosinophilic granuloma to diffuse multisystem involvement.