Repair of large airway defects with bioprosthetic materials

Tracheal resection is currently performed both for benign and malignant diseases and its reconstruction is usually obtained by using primary re-anastomosis (1). Most reports suggest 4 to 6cm of trachea or approximately 8 tracheal rings or 50% of the whole tracheal length in adults or 30% in children can be removed, performing pulmonary hilar release, suprahyoid release, and cervical neck flexion to decrease anastomotic tension (2-4). Longer segments of the trachea cannot be safely removed and since the first reports of tracheal surgery by Hermes Grillo in 1965, it still remains an unsolved problem (5).