A CASE OF TRACHEAL AGENESIS WITH ESOPHAGEAL STENOSIS

A newborn female, who born at 35 weeks and 2 days of gestation and weighed 1640 g, developed severely generalized cyanosis soon after birth. Several attempts for intra-tracheal intubation were unsucessful, and her condition was resuscitated by intra-esophageal intubation. The esophagography revealed a bronchoesophageal fistula at the middle and congenital esophageal stenosis at a lower part of the esophagus, no trachea being revealed. A diagnosis of tracheal agenesis (Type 2) was made. The gastrostomy was performed for the prevention of the reflux of gastric jouice and the nutrition 12 hours later after birth. The patient was managed by intra-esophageal intubation after operation, but died of the obstruction of the fistula after 6 days.It is necessary to take our mind of a possible tracheal agenesis in a case of neonate presenting with severe dyspnea at birth, in which the trachea resists to be intubated and mask-bagging can lead to symptomatic remission.