title: Pericardial patch tracheoplasty for the repair of a long, multisegmental postintubation tracheal damage.
abstract: A 64-year-old man was admitted with a postintubation, multisegmental tracheal damage comprising of two stenotic lesions, below and above a tracheotomy. The patient underwent resection of the damaged anterolateral tracheal wall through a combined collar-cuff and median sternotomy incision and tracheoplasty with autologous pericardium around a Silastic T-tube that was fixed to the cricoid cartilage, healthy distal trachea, and the remaining membranous wall. The postoperative period was complicated with a deep sternal wound infection that was successfully treated with vacuum-assisted closure for 2 weeks. Removal of the T-tube 9 months later resulted in a patent and well-functioning airway. Pericardial patch tracheoplasty and T-tube stenting of the repair for several months is a good alternative to extended tracheal resection for the treatment of the rare long, postintubation multisegmental tracheal damage. The pericardial patch is highly resistant to infection and allows the formation of a neotrachea.
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School, AHEPA University Hospital, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Thessaloniki, Greece. cforoulis@otenet.gr
authors.forename: Christophoros N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Foroulis
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karapanagiotidis
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Papakonstantinou
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000637:transplantation*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D014132:Trachea / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014140:Tracheotomy