[The treatment of the tracheobronchomalacia in pediatric age].

OBJECTIVE: Aortopexy is the more extended treatment for severe tracheomalacia, when it fails, reintervention and other procedures are necessary. We present our experience in the treatment of this pathology.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Tracheomalacia, bronchomalacia and tracheobroncomalacia cases during a twelve year period (1983-1995) were reviewed (type, age, symptoms, surgical procedures and results were collected).

RESULTS: Nineteen patients (9 males, 10 females) presented tracheobronchomalacia in our Hospital. Diagnosis was made by bronchoscopy in all of them: nine cases of tracheomalacia, five bronchomalacias and five suprastomal malacias were found. Mean diagnosis age was twenty four months (newborn-twelve years). Ten patients were managed nonoperatively, five with anterior cricoideal suspension and two cases were treated by aortopexy; one of them, after 2 months of respiratory stridor and recurrent respiratory arrest, needed an endoscopically placed intraluminal expandable Palmaz Prothesis. This prothesis was removed two years later. In this moment, the patient is doing well without stridor or respiratory symptoms.