Tracheal Reconstruction with End-to-end Anastomosis and Allografting: An Experimental Study

Objective: We aimed to investigate the results of two tracheal reconstruction techniques (end-to-end anastomosis and tracheal allografting) in an experimental model. Materials and Methods: Ten adult male New Zealand rabbits were used in the study. The animals were randomly divided into two groups of five, and underwent a tracheal resection of three segments. GroupI rabbits underwent an end-to-end anastomosis. The resected segments were transplanted to the groupII rabbits. The rabbits were sacrified at 20th postoperative day, and tracheal specimens were removed. The lateral and anteroposterior diameters of the lumen was measured, and the cross-sectional area (CSA) was calculated at the site of anastomosis. Specimens were investigated histopathologically for the inflammatory changes, fibrosis, and stenosis. The results were analysed statistically. Results: The anastomosis was normal in every specimen. Secretions and fibrotic adhesions were insignificantly more common in the groupII, but the degree of fibrosis and inflammation was the same. In the groupII, there was one mild rejection. Both procedures caused a significant narrowing in the tracheal diameters (p<0.05). The CSAs reduced significantly in both groups (reduction to 84% and 82%, respectively, p<0.05). Therefore, these reductions were accepted as “normal” according to the proposed scale. Conclusion: Both methods can be used in the tracheal reconstruction with an acceptable rate of stenosis.