Tracheal agenesis: report of one case.

Abstract

In this report, we present a newborn male infant with tracheal agenesis. At birth the term baby was cyanotic, bradycardic, and had a failure to cry. His Apgar scores were 3 and 3 at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. Immediately after birth, an endotracheal intubation was unsuccessfully attempted; however, a chest excursion was visible with intubation through the esophagus. Tracheal agenesis with esophago-tracheal fistula was highly suspected. Direct endoscopy and emergency computed tomography were performed and revealed tracheal agenesis. The baby died on day 6, and an autopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Tracheal agenesis (TA) is a rare cause of respiratory distress in the newborn. Cyanosis at birth, difficulty to perform an endotracheal intubation and a failure to cry are the characteristics of TA. Although continuous mechanical support through the esophagus can maintain vital functions, there are no effective medical or surgical method to correct the congenital abnormality currently. The longest survivor of all of the infants with TA had no more than 6 wks of live. In a review of the current literature, only a few cases have had the diagnosis established antemortem. We report a case of tracheal agenesis diagnosed by emergency computed tomography(CT). The role of CT in establishing this diagnosis has been very useful.