[Replacement of artificial tracheal prosthesis by two-stage procedure with memory-alloy mesh].
OBJECTIVE
To design an artificial trachea which can totally heal with the native trachea.


METHODS
Using memory-alloy mesh as the skeleton to construct an artificial trachea by two-stage operation. After 2-year animal experiment we successfully performed the operation in a patient with recurrent carcinoid of the trachea, radically resected the tumor and primarily reconstructed the trachea.


RESULTS
The inner side of this "sandwich" artificial tracheal prosthesis was coated with skin and outside the memory-alloy mesh was muscle and vessel pedicle with good blood supply. The upper and lower anastomosis completely healed with recipient's trachea with a full recovery of trachea. Six-month follow-up showed that the patients resumed their normal life.


CONCLUSIONS
The artificial trachea completely healed with the native trachea and became a part of the human trachea. The inner side of artificial trachea is coated with intact native skin tissue with ample blood supply, totally alive without rejection. Therefore, the pedicled artificial tracheal prosthesis is an real artificial trachea.
Zhao
Feng-rui
FR
Department of Surgery, Beijing Jiangong Hospital, Beijing 100054, China.
Zhang
Yin-he
YH
Liu
De-ruo
DR
Liu
Shi-min
SM
Yu
Jian-jun
JJ
Xin
Yu-ling
YL
D000497:Alloys; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D014132:Trachea / Q000601:surgery*; D014134:Tracheal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*
D000497:Alloys