Introduction

The trachea, or windpipe, is a tube that carries air from the nose and mouth to the lungs. It is made up of 16-20 C-shaped rings of cartilage. Cartilage is a firm but flexible tissue that helps the trachea flex as your child breathes.

Tracheal stenosis is a condition where one or more of these rings are hard, inflexible, and O-shaped. These are called complete tracheal rings. They narrow the windpipe, making breathing harder for your child to breathe. 

The two types of tracheal stenosis are:

• short-segmented – only a few rings are affected
• long-segmented – more than two-thirds of the trachea is affected.

Tracheal stenosis can be:

• acquired – develops after an illness, treatment or injury, like from a breathing tube or neck injury
• congenital – develops as your baby grows during pregnancy.

Doctors do not know what causes congenital tracheal stenosis to develop.

You may not notice tracheal stenosis until your child has breathing issues or an illness

Symptoms can include:

• stridor – noisy, high-pitched whistling when breathing in
• difficulty feeding from the breast or bottle
• difficulty breathing or choking while eating
• apnea – pauses in breathing
• frequent infections like pneumonia
• cyanosis - blue, grey or whiteish skin around the nose or gums.

In severe cases, tracheal stenosis can cause serious breathing difficulties, including:

• noisy breathing like wheezing or grunting
• retractions- sucking in at the neck and chest when breathing
• periods where breathing stops
• cyanosis around the mouth.

Difficulty breathing is a medical emergency and can be life-threatening.

Call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance or go to your nearest emergency department.

Your local doctor will refer you to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist if tracheal stenosis is suspected

The specialist may do tests such as:

• laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy – using a special telescope to look at the larynx or voice box and trachea
• computed tomography (CT) scan – taking a clear picture of the trachea, lungs, and blood vessels
• angiography – a special x-ray used to take clear pictures of the blood vessels in the heart
• echocardiogram (ECHO) - an ultrasound of the heart to check that the heart and blood vessels are joined and working correctly.

The treatment for tracheal stenosis depends on how many rings are affected.