Definition
A tracheal stenosis describes a reduction or narrowing of the trachea. The trachea connects the lung with the larynx and enables the transport of air to be breathed in or out. If there is a narrowing in the trachea, the airflow can be restricted to such an extent that patients experience difficulty breathing.
Causes
There are several possible causes for tracheal stenosis. One reason may be that an injury or inflammation of the trachea has occurred. As the inflammation or injury heals, the physiological (natural) tissue of the trachea is degraded, as it no longer fulfills its function, and is then replaced by scar tissue.
This scar tissue can lead to a narrowing of the trachea (tracheal stenosis) because it does not grow as fine and limited as the original tissue. A stenosing (constricting) scar has formed. Tracheal stenosis can also develop during prolonged artificial respiration.
Here, too, the reason lies in the development of scar tissue, which is formed as a protective mechanism by the long irritation of the trachea through the tube (breathing tube). A similar reaction mechanism can also occur after tracheal incisions, where the incision heals scarred. Tracheal stenosis can also be caused by cancer.
If, for example, a tumor in the neck area, on the thyroid gland or starting from the trachea (windpipe) presses on the trachea or moves it from the inside, then tracheal stenosis is present. In regions where iodine deficiency is present, people often have a compensatory enlarged thyroid gland – this presents itself on the neck as a goiter. If this presses on the trachea from the outside, it can be constricted. A narrowing of the trachea is ultimately also present when a patient swallows an object or foreign body and it slides into the trachea and becomes stuck there. Depending on the size and location of the object, a small to large part of the lung can no longer be ventilated and the patient suffers from shortness of breath.
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