[Resection of the trachea and bifurcation in newborn infants and children].

From 1973 to 1994, 38 tracheal and/or bifurcation resections were performed in 37 children aged 1 month to 18 years. Twenty-four children had an acquired stenosis, 8 a congenital and 5 a combined stenosis. In 16 children, the stenosis was located in the lower trachea or bifurcation. Other malformations were found in 12 children. The most common intervention was the trachea segment resection in 30 patients; resection of the cricoid cartilage was performed in another 6 cases. The resection was expanded to the bifurcation 5 times, 1 being a left sleeve pneumonectomy. The extent of resection was between 10 and 50 mm. In the 22 children with resections of the upper and middle trachea, 96% were decannulated with 0% morbidity. In the 15 children with distal resections, decannulation was performed in 87% with 6% morbidity. There were no recurrent stenoses caused by growth disorder. With interdisciplinary cooperation, single-session resection is a safe procedure.