Innovations in Airway Surgery

Abstract

The management of pediatric airway stenosis has evolved considerably over time. At the outset, dilation was the mainstay of management. In the 1900s, open surgery in the form of cricoid expansion procedures or resection procedures was the primary treatment with subsequent development of the slide tracheoplasty. Now in the twenty-first century, advances in endoscopic management, balloon dilation, and stenting, along with the advent of external scaffolds and tissue replacement continue to advance pediatric airway surgery.

Keywords: Airway stenosis; Balloon dilation; Endoscopic; Scaffolds; Stents; Tissue replacement; Tracheobronchomalacia.