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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Laryngotracheal (luh-ring-go-TRAY-key-ul) reconstruction surgery widens your windpipe (trachea) to make breathing easier. Laryngotracheal reconstruction involves inserting a small piece of cartilage — stiff connective tissue found in many areas of your body — into the narrowed section of the windpipe.
Children most commonly experience problems with a narrowed windpipe. It can occur for many reasons, including injury, infection, stomach acid reflux, a birth defect or the result of the insertion of a breathing tube. An adult's windpipe can become narrowed for the same reasons, but the cause may also be a disease that causes blood vessel or tissue inflammation, such as Wegener's granulomatosis or sarcoidosis.
The goal of laryngotracheal reconstruction is to provide a safe and stable airway without the use of assistance from a breathing tube.
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- Rohren CH (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 4, 2013.
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