title: Transnasal tracheoscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Unsedated transnasal tracheoscopy (TNT) has emerged as a technique in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery for an awake airway examination in the office setting. This study investigates the safety, procedural success rate, indications, and findings of TNTs performed over a 3-year period at an academic medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review.
  
  
  METHODS
  After institutional review board approval, billing records were reviewed for patients who underwent TNT from 2007-2009 in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Hospital charts for these patients were obtained, and data regarding patient demographics, complications, procedural success rate, indications, and findings were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-eight TNTs were performed on 44 patients over the last 3 years (25 males, 19 females; age range, 16-91 years). No complications were noted. Ninety-one percent of procedures were able to be completed. Indications for TNT were to: 1) detect airway stenosis or pathology, 2) evaluate the larynx and trachea prior to airway surgery, 3) monitor postoperative results of airway interventions, and 4) evaluate the airway prior to tracheotomy tube decannulation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TNT is a safe procedure that can be performed on the unsedated patient using only topical anesthesia and is an attractive alternative to rigid bronchoscopy. The procedural success rate was high, indicating good patient tolerance. The indications for TNT, including its use as a tool for surgical planning, have become better defined. TNT has become a standard tool in the management of patients with airway pathology in our practices.
authors.affiliation: University Voice and Swallowing Center, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, Orange, California, USA.
authors.forename: Sunil P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Marshall E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Seth H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Dailey
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000772:Anesthesia, Local / Q000379:methods; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D002140:California; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007828:Laryngoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009296:Nasal Cavity; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017751:Safety Management; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014133:Tracheal Diseases; D055815:Young Adult