Tracheomalacia

Infobox_Disease
Name = PAGENAME


Caption =
DiseasesDB = 31858
ICD10 = ICD10|Q|32|0|q|30
ICD9 = ICD9|519.19, ICD9|748.3
ICDO =
OMIM =
MedlinePlus =
eMedicineSubj = med
eMedicineTopic = 2976
eMedicine_mult = eMedicine2|ped|2275 | MeshID =

Tracheomalacia (from "trachea" and the Greek μαλαχια, "softening") is a condition characterized by flaccidity of the tracheal support cartilage which leads to tracheal collapse especially when increased airflow is demanded.

The trachea normally dilates slightly during inspiration and narrows slightly during expiration. These processes are exaggerated in tracheomalacia, leading to airway collapse on expiration. The usual symptom of tracheomalacia is expiratory stridor or laryngeal crow.

If the condition extends further to the bronchi (if there is also bronchomalacia), it is termed tracheobronchomalacia. The same condition can also affect the larynx, which is called laryngomalacia.

Classification

There are three types:cite journal |author=Austin J, Ali T |title=Tracheomalacia and bronchomalacia in children: pathophysiology, assessment, treatment and anaesthesia management |journal=Paediatr Anaesth |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=3–11 |year=2003 |month=January |pmid=12535032 |doi= |url=http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/openurl?genre=article&sid=nlm:pubmed&issn=1155-5645&date=2003&volume=13&issue=1&spage=3]
*Type 1 — congenital, sometimes associated with tracheoesophageal fistula or esophageal atresia
*Type 2 — extrinsic compression sometimes due to vascular rings
*Type 3 — acquired due to chronic infection or prolonged intubation or inflammatory conditions like relapsing polychondritis

Treatment

If the symptoms are severe enough, treatment may be needed. These range from medical management over mechanical ventilation (both continuous positive airway pressure, CPAP, or bi-level positive airway pressure, BiPAP) to tracheal stenting and surgery.

Surgical techniques include aortopexy, tracheopexy and tracheostomy.cite journal |author=van der Zee DC, Bax NM |title=Thoracoscopic tracheoaortopexia for the treatment of life-threatening events in tracheomalacia |journal=Surgical endoscopy |volume=21 |issue=11 |pages=2024–5 |year=2007 |pmid=17356936 |doi=10.1007/s00464-007-9250-8] None of these techniques have been shown to be more effective than the other.cite journal |author=Masters IB, Chang AB |title=Interventions for primary (intrinsic) tracheomalacia in children |journal=Cochrane Database Syst Rev |volume= |issue=4 |pages=CD005304 |year=2005 |pmid=16235399 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD005304.pub2 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005304.pub2]

ee also

*Tracheal collapse for the condition in dogs

Footnotes

External links

*
* [http://www.tracheomalacia.org Tracheomalacia Information and Education]