Prosthetic reconstruction of the trachea.

Tracheal reconstruction has been a difficult and challenging problem over the years, mainly because of graft infection and extrusion. A small segment of the trachea can be resected and primary anastomosis can be performed easily with satisfactory results. The problem is always complex when a substantial portion of the trachea must be resected. A variety of prosthetic materials have been used, both in experimental animals and human subjects, with limited short-term success. This study describes an experiment using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts in dogs. PTFE patch and interposition grafts were used for tracheal reconstruction with very satisfactory results. Inflammatory reaction near the grafts and nonincorporation of long graft segments continue to be problems, but despite this, prosthetic reconstruction of the trachea using PTFE provided very satisfactory results in our experimental study.