title: Tracheal agenesis with unique anatomy.
abstract: A premature infant with a unique form of tracheal agenesis is described. The combination of difficulty in intubation, abnormal course of the nasogastric tube on plain x-ray, and gastric perforation raised the suspicion of an upper airway malformation. Tracheal agenesis is an extremely rare, typically fatal, congenital anomaly with scattered case reports of its successful management. On many occasions, the diagnosis is a retrospective one at postmortem examination. The possibility of surgical correction rests on early diagnosis, anatomy, birth weight, and associated anomalies. Early recognition is mandatory, but in our case, the low birth weight precluded consideration for reconstructive surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Surgery, Nottingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Queens Medical Centre, NG7 2UH Nottingham, UK. nia.fraser@ntlworld.com
authors.forename: Nia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Kevin P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Gibbin
authors.forename: C James H
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Padfield
mesh_terms: D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D014132:Trachea / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology