Dr. Ameen, ENT Specialist in Kuala Lumpur

Dear readers,

Today, I will be discussing slide tracheoplasty. As the name suggests, it involves a procedure where the tracheal airway is widened by cutting the trachea at a specific angle, sliding it over, and then suturing it back together. Despite its seemingly straightforward description, this is a complex and major surgical procedure that typically requires a multidisciplinary team.

In Malaysia, most slide tracheoplasties are performed by experienced pediatric surgeons, such as the renowned Dr. Zakaria, who practices at Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara. Pediatric ENT surgeons are often consulted when managing cases of lower tracheal stenosis that cannot be addressed through endoscopic methods.

Below is the link to access the full paper: a systematic review of slide tracheoplasty.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2024.111993

Here is the link to an excellent YouTube video that comprehensively explains each step of slide tracheoplasty. It features a surgeon from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital performing an atypical slide tracheoplasty using cardiopulmonary bypass on a patient with congenital tracheal stenosis and a bronchus suis (pig bronchus).