title: Long-term outcomes of four patients with tracheal agenesis who underwent airway and esophageal reconstruction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of four patients with tracheal agenesis who underwent airway and esophageal/alimentary reconstruction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the medical records of four long-term survivors of tracheal agenesis and collected the following data: age, sex, type of tracheal agenesis, method of reconstruction, nutritional management, and physical and neurological development.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients consisted of three boys and one girl, who ranged in age from 77 to 109months. The severity of their condition was classified as Floyd's type I (n=2), II (n=1), or III (n=1). Mechanical respiratory support was not necessary in any of the cases. Esophageal/alimentary reconstruction was performed using the small intestine (n=2), a gastric tube (n=1), and the esophagus (n=1). The age at esophageal reconstruction ranged from 41 to 55months. All of the cases required enteral nutrition via gastrostomy. Three of the patients were able to swallow a small amount of liquid and one was able to take pureed food orally. The physical development of the subjects was moderately delayed-borderline in childhood. Neurological development was normal in two cases and slightly delayed in two cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  None of the long-term survivors of tracheal agenesis required the use of an artificial respirator, and their development was close to normal. Future studies should aim to elucidate the optimal method for performing esophageal reconstruction to allow tracheal agenesis patients to achieve their full oral intake.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan. Electronic address: tazuke@pedsurg.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tazuke
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okuyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takehisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Keigo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nara
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka Medical Center and Research Institute for Maternal and Child Health, Izumi, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hisayoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawahara
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka Medical Center and Research Institute for Maternal and Child Health, Izumi, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka Medical Center and Research Institute for Maternal and Child Health, Izumi, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Usui
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka Medical Center and Research Institute for Maternal and Child Health, Izumi, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Soh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka Medical Center and Research Institute for Maternal and Child Health, Izumi, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Motonari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takaharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oue
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nose
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saka
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000601:surgery*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014132:Trachea / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Long-term outcomes; Prognosis; Reconstruction; Tracheal agenesis