Powered Instrumentation in the Treatment of Tracheal Granulation Tissue for Decannulation

To evaluate the outcomes of powered instrumentation tracheal surgery (PITS) in patients with tracheal granulation tissue following tracheostomy that caused or exacerbated airway obstruction and impeded decannulation. Retrospective case review. Sixteen patients that accepted PITS for decannulation from tracheal granulation tissue were reviewed. The surgical procedure was performed with the assistance telescope connected to a television monitoring system. The success of PITS was defined as a decannulation for 3 months without a recurrence of airway obstruction. The average operation time was 34 minutes. No complication was met in the perioperative period. Fourteen cases (87.5%) were successfully decannulated within 3 days following PITS. The 2 cases that failed successful decannulation had undergone insertion of a tracheal stent for their hindered tracheal stenosis. The preliminary results reveal that the new operation modality, PITS, is a safe and simple method for the treatment of tracheal granulation tissue and could be a useful alternative for benign tracheal lesions.