Approaching Saber-Sheath Trachea in a Patient with Bilateral Vocal Cord Abductor Palsy and Post Tracheostomy Tracheal Stenosis.

Journal: Indian Journal Of Otolaryngology And Head And Neck Surgery : Official Publication Of The Association Of Otolaryngologists Of India
Published:
Abstract

Human trachea has variable shapes and the most common are circular and oval-shaped. Other shapes are rare to find and usually related to some diseases. Such as the Saber-sheath shaped trachea, which was commonly attributed to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This case is about a patient who was detected to have dual pathology, bilateral vocal cord abductor palsy, and post-tracheostomy complicated with tracheal stenosis for 40 years. Symptoms worsened in the last three years until he was admitted to the ward. However, upon managing this case with multilevel airway obstruction, we have found out that this patient who did not have COPD, has a Saber-sheath trachea shape. This finding may indicate that the shape is not limited to a certain disease only.

Authors
Stacy Jamarun, Nur Ishak, Elsie Anastasius, Timothy Wong Wei, Marina Mat Baki