Choanal Atresia- A Clinical Study and Review of Literature

Abstract

AbstractChoanal atresia is a developmental anomaly where there is failure of communication of the nasal cavity to the nasopharynx. The atresia can be membranous or bony in nature, but may be mixed as is seen in most of the cases. Bilateral choanal atresia is an emergency condition and newborns can have severe respiratory distress and cyanosis at birth. Failure to pass an 8 F catherter through the nasal cavity more than 5.5 cm from the alar rim points to the presence of choanal atresia. In emergency, bilateral choanal atresia is managed with an oropharyngeal airway. Flexible nasal endoscopy and CT scan can confirm the diagnosis of choanal atresia. Surgery is the definitive treatment which can be done either by transnasal or transpalatal approach. The transnasal endoscopic route is currently the preferred procedure and can be performed as a minimally invasive procedure. This has less complications and a high success rate. We studied four cases of unilateral choanal atresia presented to our hospital, with respect to the etiological factors, clinical features and management.