Powered instrumentation in the treatment of tracheal granulation tissue for decannulation

OBJECTIVE: 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. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case review. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.