title: Endoscopic treatment of congenital choanal atresia.
abstract: This report outlines the effectiveness of the transnasal endoscopic approach for the treatment of congenital choanal atresia. Fourteen patients with age between 5 days and 15 years were treated using this approach by means of 0 and 30 degrees 4 or 2.7 mm telescopes: three cases were bilateral while 11 were unilateral. The time of stenting ranged from 3 to 6 days (mean 4 days) in the three newborn patients and between 1 and 2 weeks (mean 1 week) in the other nine patients. In the last two cases, stenting was not carried out. The overall follow-up period ranged from 2 to 64 months (mean 31 months). Only one restenosis was observed in this series 2 months after surgery. This restenosis was successfully treated by endoscopic revision. The authors believe that a correct repositioning of mucosal flaps after the resection of the atretic plate is of paramount importance in avoiding restenosis of the neochoana and in reducing the time and/or the use of stenting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Bologna, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. epasquini@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pasquini
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sciarretta
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saggese
authors.forename: Cosetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cantaroni
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Macrì
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Farneti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002754:Choanal Atresia / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D012008:Recurrence; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors