Reconstruction of the trachea.

Advances in surgical technique and in anaesthesia have made possible a more radical attack on lesions affecting the trachea. Although the number of patients presenting with such a tracheal lesion is small, it is important that they should be treated adequately. Tracheal reconstruction is indicated both for benign and for malignant neoplasms, most of which are found to arise in the lower third. A complete removal may be possible but there is also a place for palliative resection because, untreated, these patients die an unpleasant death from tracheal obstruction. A few tumours are sensitive to irradiation; in these cases there is no place for palliative resection.