tracheomalacia
Sign in to saveTracheomalacia is a condition or incident where the cartilage that keeps the airway (trachea) open is soft, such that the trachea partly collapses especially during increased airflow. This condition is most commonly seen in infants and young children. The usual symptom is stridor when a person breathes out. This is usually known as a collapsed windpipe.
Key facts
- Medical condition (new).name
- Tracheomalacia
- Medical condition (new).image
- Tracheomalacia.jpg
- Medical condition (new).caption
- (A) Tracheal structure with normal C-shape rings. (B) U-shaped rings with a wider posterior membrane, demonstrating posterior intrusion. (C) Bow-shaped rings with a broad posterior membrane and severe posterior intrusion.
- Medical condition (new).symptoms
- Wheezing, dyspnea and fatigue upon exertion Infants may show signs of cyanosis
- Medical condition (new).complications
- Inability to propel secretions, leading to repeated cases of pneumonia
- Medical condition (new).types
- Congenital (heart/great vessel malformations or tracheal anomalies)Acquired (secondary to trauma or tracheostomy)
- Medical condition (new).diagnosis
- Endoscopy (diagnostic); flexible laryngobronchoscopy (confirmation)
- Medical condition (new).prevention
- Avoiding hard throat impacts
- Medical condition (new).treatment
- Symptomatic management (PEEP or CPAP) for mild symptoms Surgery indicated for tracheal compression from large vessel or mass
- Medical condition (new).prognosis
- Severe tracheomalacia is associated with significant morbidity and mortality
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
1,561 papers- Tracheomalacia.Thoracic surgery clinics · 2014
- Paediatric Tracheomalacia.Paediatric respiratory reviews · 2016
- Tracheomalacia.Paediatric respiratory reviews · 2004
- Tracheomalacia.Chest surgery clinics of North America · 2003
- Pediatric tracheomalacia.Seminars in pediatric surgery · 2016
via PubMed
~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
7 sectionsContents
- Signs and symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Classifications
- Treatment
- See also
- References
- External links
Tracheomalacia is a condition or incident where the cartilage that keeps the airway (trachea) open is soft, such that the trachea partly collapses especially during increased airflow. This condition is most commonly seen in infants and young children. The usual symptom is stridor when a person breathes out. This is usually known as a collapsed windpipe.
The trachea normally opens slightly during breathing in and narrows slightly during breathing out. These processes are exaggerated in tracheomalacia, leading to airway collapse on breathing out.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “tracheomalacia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.