Long-term results of ZHAO's artificial trachea

Abstract

Objective To report the long-term results of clinical application of ZHAO's artificial trachea.Introduce the indication and technical key point. Methods Seven patients undergoing long-segment resection of trachea received tracheal reconstruction with ZHAO's artificial traches. There were 3 ocstoid adenocarcinomas and 4 benign cases including 3 trauma patients. Four benign patients had tracheostomy before admission; two of them with closed upper trachea lost the ability of speech. The length of tracheal de-fect were 5.5-8.0 cm, the length of artificial trachea were 3.0-4.5 cm. Reconstruction procedure was two-staged. With plastic surgery technique, a sandwich pedicle artificial trachea was made, of which the inner surface was skin, outer coveting was platysma, a memory-alloy mesh was in between. Results Two patients required intubation for 5 days. Five patients could speak normally,wald around and have normal food in first postoperative day. Three malignant patients died. One died from trachon-innominate arterial fistular, 2 died from acute pulmonary embolism end systemic malignancy 1.5 year later. Four benign patients survived 3 - 5 years with normal life and word. Conclusion The design of ZHAO's artificial trachea is practicable. The artificial material comparatively copes with tracheal anatomy and physiology. It is an alternative choice for tracheal reconstruction after more than half length long-segment resection. It is suitable for both malignancy and binign condition. Key words: Tracheal diseases; Trachea; Artificial organs