Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  2012 Sep;22(3):312-316.

A Case of Congenital Short Trachea Combined with Laryngeal Cleft

• Kwun C
• Lee HS
• Yoo JS
• Kim J
• Son YI
• Ahn K

Abstract

Congenital short trachea is a rare congenital anomaly in which the trachea is composed of reduced number of cartilage rings, which result in an abnormally high position of the carina and an abnormal course of the main bronchi. Hazards of congenital short trachea in infants and children include inadvertent bronchial intubation, because it causes bronchiostenosis, pulmonary interstitial emphysema, pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and ipsilateral atelectasis. Laryngeal cleft is a rare condition, as well. Symptoms range from mild stridor to massive aspiration and respiratory distress, depending on the severity of the cleft. Until now, a case with combination of these two rare congenital defects has not been reported. Herein, we report a 13 month-old boy who has congenital short trachea with laryngeal cleft.

Keyword

Congenital short trachea; Laryngeal cleft

MeSH Terms

Bronchi
Cartilage
Child
Congenital Abnormalities
Emphysema
Humans
Infant
Intubation
Larynx
Mediastinal Emphysema
Pneumothorax
Pulmonary Atelectasis
Respiratory Sounds
Trachea
Congenital Abnormalities
Larynx

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Type 2 laryngeal cleft in laryngoscopy (arrow).

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  Fig. 2 (A) Video fluoroscopic swallowing study and (B) esophagography show contrast is leaking between larynx and esophagus.

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  Fig. 3 Chest X-ray demonstrating carina at the level of T3 (arrow).

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  Fig. 4 (A, B) Trachea computed tomography image reveals carina at the level of T3 and endotracheal tube in the right bronchus (solid line arrow). (C) Trachea computed tomography 3D reconstruction image reveals diffuse narrowing of right main bronchus (dot line arrow). Lt, left; Rt, right.

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