Tracheomalacia
Classification and external resources
ICD-10	Q32.0
ICD-9	519.19, 748.3
DiseasesDB	31858
eMedicine	med/2976 ped/2275

Tracheomalacia (from trachea and the Greek μαλαχια, softening) is a condition characterized by flaccidity of the tracheal support cartilage which leads to tracheal collapse especially when increased airflow is demanded.

The trachea normally dilates slightly during inspiration and narrows slightly during expiration. These processes are exaggerated in tracheomalacia, leading to airway collapse on expiration. The usual symptom of tracheomalacia is expiratory stridor or laryngeal crow.

If the condition extends further to the bronchi (if there is also bronchomalacia), it is termed tracheobronchomalacia. The same condition can also affect the larynx, which is called laryngomalacia.

Contents 1 Classification 2 Treatment 3 See also 4 Footnotes 5 External links

[edit] Classification

There are three types:^[1]

• Type 1 — congenital, sometimes associated with tracheoesophageal fistula or esophageal atresia
• Type 2 — extrinsic compression sometimes due to vascular rings
• Type 3 — acquired due to chronic infection or prolonged intubation or inflammatory conditions like relapsing polychondritis

[edit] Treatment

If the symptoms are severe enough, treatment may be needed. These range from medical management over mechanical ventilation (both continuous positive airway pressure, CPAP, or bi-level positive airway pressure, BiPAP) to tracheal stenting and surgery.

Surgical techniques include aortopexy, tracheopexy, tracheobronchoplasty, and tracheostomy.^[2] None of these techniques have been shown to be more effective than the other.^[3]

[edit] See also

• Tracheal collapse for the condition in dogs

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Swiss embryology (from UL, UB, and UF) rrespiratory/patholrespi01
• Tracheomalacia Information and Education

v • d • e Congenital malformations and deformations of respiratory system (Q30-Q34, 748) Upper RT Nose Choanal atresia Larynx Laryngocele - Laryngomalacia Lower RT Trachea and bronchus Tracheomalacia - Tracheal stenosis - Bronchomalacia - Mounier-Kuhn syndrome Lung Bronchiectasis - Pulmonary hypoplasia - Pulmonary sequestration - Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation respiratory system navs: anat nose,larynx/lower+thoracic cavity/physio/dev, noncongen/congen/tumors, symptoms+signs/eponymous, proc