Complete congenital cartilaginous trachea in a girl with Crouzon's syndrome

A tracheostomy was performed in a 4-month-old girl with Crouzon's syndrome because of upper respiratory obstruction. During the procedure the absence of tracheal rings was observed. These findings were confirmed by postoperative bronchoscopy. Subsequent surgical correction of the patient's craniofacial anomalies enabled decannulation when the patient was 10 months old. Complete cartilaginous trachea is very rare and is always associated with craniosynostotic syndromes. Tracheobronchial anomalies should be investigated in patients whose respiratory symptoms are not due to upper airway obstruction.