Tracheomalacia after Esophageal Replacement: Role of Aortopexy

Diffuse malacia of the airway is a rare condition; no definite incidence rates are available. It can be associated with a variety of congenital anomalies, but internal compression by an endotracheal or tracheostomy tube also may be the culprit. We describe a one-year-old boy with tracheomalacia that developed after a gastric pull-up procedure for esophageal replacement due to esophageal atresia. After being under mechanical ventilation for 28 days and impossible to extubate, he improved dramatically after performing aortopexy.