Tracheal (Windpipe) Surgery

In mild narrowings or in patients who cannot withstand surgery, the windpipe can be expanded with a balloon or a stent can be inserted under bronchoscopy guidance. However, these tissues (scar tissue) are very stubborn and usually close back up shortly after being opened with a balloon. The "Definitive (Curative) and permanent solution" is the surgical cutting (resection) and discarding of that diseased, shrunken piece of windpipe.

The human windpipe (trachea) is quite flexible. When a piece is removed from the narrowed section (between approximately 2 and 5 centimeters), the healthy ends can be easily stretched and sewn together tension-free thanks to the stretching margin of the remaining parts and the head/neck positioning maneuvers the surgeon will apply.

Since the length of the windpipe shortens somewhat during the surgery, it is very important that these vital stitches do not break and the wound is not stretched. For this reason, to prevent the patient from suddenly throwing their head backwards (back) during the first 1 week after the surgery, their chin is slightly tied to their chest with special stitches (Grillo stitch) and restricted. When the tissue fuses, the threads are removed.