A slide tracheoplasty is a surgery done to make the airway larger. An incision is made on the chest to open up the airway and the heart. Cardiopulmonary bypass may be used to allow oxygen and blood flow to continue during the procedure. However, there are some children who do not need cardiopulmonary bypass if the complete rings are higher in the airway and the lower trachea is normal. This surgery can be done through an incision on the neck.
During surgery, the trachea is opened in the front and the back. It is then slid up on itself and reconnected to make the trachea shorter, but much wider. If the child has other vascular or heart abnormalities, the cardiothoracic surgeon may correct these as well.
C) Inside view of the airway. The “O” shaped tracheal rings are opened in the front and the back.
D) The tracheal rings are reconnected by sliding up on itself.
E) Shows what the airway looks like after it is reconnected.
F) Sometimes there can be an area where the rings are reconnected to make it look like a figure 8. This gets better as the airway heals.