Choanal atresia--a patient care study.

This study is about a ten year old girl called Nicola who was admitted to the Royal Liverpool Childrens Hospital (RLCH) to have corrective surgery for Unilateral choanal atresia. Choanal atresia occurs as a result of failure of canalisation of the bucconasal membrane. Bilateral atresia causes total nasal obstruction and unless immediate treatment is initiated asphyxia will occur, because a new-born infant will not breathe through the mouth. The diagnosis is confirmed when a catheter fails to pass from the mouth to the nasopharynx. Unilateral atresia may cause respiratory difficulty in the neonatal period in which case surgery is usually advised. If the nasal obstruction is not gross, surgical correction can be delayed.