The efficacy of slide tracheoplasty in a growing rabbit model

PURPOSE: Slide tracheoplasty for congenital tracheal stenosis was reported by Tsang. This procedure provides good results, but there are few studies about the tracheal growth of post-surgical condition. Recently, not only traditional posterior to anterior slide plasty but also right side to left side slide plasty was reported. We evaluated the tracheal growth after slide tracheoplasty in growing Japanese white rabbit model. METHODS: The Japanese white rabbits, weighing 1,600–2,400 g, were used for this study. One-third of the estimated length of the trachea was slantingly resected about an appropriate angle. We performed a slant, side-to-side tracheal anastomosis in two ways (slanted from the front to the back in four animals, and slanted from right to left in four animals) on growing rabbits as an animal model of slide tracheoplasty. RESULTS: All the rabbits were alive until the 10th week after surgery. There was no evidence of differential growth in any part of the circumference of the normal and anastomotic tracheas. Histologically, all tracheal lumina were completely lined with normal respiratory epithelium and normal surrounding cartilage. CONCLUSION: The results presented that these two methods did not prevent the tracheal growth and trachea did not buckle macroscopically. Both slide tracheoplasties did not interrupt the growth of trachea.