title: Bilateral choanal atresia in an adult: is it compatible with life?
abstract: Bilateral choanal atresia is potentially life-threatening. The condition almost always presents in the new born, with alternating phases of respiratory distress and apnoea relieved by crying. We report a rare case of bilateral choanal atresia presenting for the first time at 22 years of age. The patient had no features of cyanosis or apnoea, presenting only with bilateral nasal obstruction, rhinorrhoea and anosmia. His neonatal history was unremarkable. No syndromic association was noted excepting for telecanthus. The presence of bony atresia was confirmed on computed tomography (CT) scan and transnasal endoscopic surgery was used to obtain a patent airway. This case is a rare report of bilateral choanal atresia presenting for the first time in adult life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research Chandigarh, India. npanda@satyam.net.in
authors.forename: Naresh K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Panda
authors.forename: Sridhar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Simhadri
authors.forename: Shakuntala
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002754:Choanal Atresia / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed