Slide Tracheoplasty

Also known as: tracheoplasty.

What is slide tracheoplasty?

If a patient has difficulty breathing due to a narrow airway, slide tracheoplasty is a potential treatment. The procedure gets its name due to the fact that two cut portions of the trachea are slid over one another in order to create a wider airway.
 

What happens during the procedure?

The patient is placed under general anesthesia. Then the trachea is cut at the narrowed portion. The back of the lower tracheal segment is cut open, and the front of the upper segment is cut in a similar fashion. Then the two segments are slid together and reattached to increase the width of the trachea and improve breathing. 
 

Is any special preparation needed? 

The patient will need to avoid food, drink and medications prior to the procedure.
 

What are the risk factors? 

The patient will need to breathe using a breathing tube for a period of time after the procedure. Infection, bleeding, damage to surrounding organs and tissues or breathing problems are potential risks of slide tracheoplasty.

Reviewed by: Brian Ho, MD

This page was last updated on: January 20, 2022 04:24 PM