Editing Trachea (section)

===Congenital disorders===
[[File:Tracheal diverticulum.png|thumb|Tracheal diverticulum as seen on axial CT imaging]]

[[Tracheal agenesis]]<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Chiu T, Cuevas D, Cuevas L, Monteiro C | title = Tracheal agenesis | journal = Southern Medical Journal | volume = 83 | issue = 8 | pages = 925–930 | date = August 1990 | pmid = 2200137 | doi = 10.1097/00007611-199008000-00018 | s2cid = 21260092 }}</ref> is a rare [[birth defect]] in which the trachea fails to develop. The defect is usually fatal though sometimes surgical intervention has been successful.

A [[tracheoesophageal fistula]] is a congenital defect in which the trachea and esophagus are abnormally connected (a {{wt|en|fistula}}). This is because of abnormalities in the separation between the trachea and oesophagus during development.<ref name=Langmans2019 /> This occurs in approximately 1 in 3,000 births, and the most common abnormalities is a separation of the upper and lower ends of the oesophagus, with the upper end finishing in a closed pouch.<ref name=Langmans2019 /> Other abnormalities may be associated with this, including cardiac abnormalities, or [[VACTERL syndrome]].<ref name=Langmans2019 /> Such fistulas may be detected before a baby is born because of [[polyhydramnios|excess amniotic fluid]]; after birth, they are often associated with pneumonitis and pneumonia because of {{wt|en|aspiration}} of food contents.<ref name=Langmans2019 /> Congenital fistulas are often treated by surgical repair.<ref name=Davidsons2018>{{cite book|title=Davidson's principles and practice of medicine| veditors = Ralston SH, Penman ID, Strachan MW, Hobson RP |date=2018 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-7020-7028-0 |edition=23rd}}</ref> In adults, fistulas may occur because of erosion into the trachea from nearby malignant tumours, which erode into both the trachea and the oesophagus. Initially, these often result in coughing from swallowed contents of the oesophagus that are aspirated through the trachea, often progressing to fatal pneumonia; there is rarely a curative treatment.<ref name=Davidsons2018 /> A [[tracheo-oesophageal puncture]] is a surgically created hole between the trachea and the esophagus in a person who has had their larynx removed. Air travels upwards from the surgical connection to the upper oesophagus and the pharynx, creating vibrations that create sound that can be used for speech. The purpose of the puncture is to restore a person's ability to speak after the vocal cords have been removed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Evaluation and Treatment for Tracheoesophageal Puncture and Prosthesis: Technical Report |url=https://www.asha.org/policy/TR2004-00138/ |website=American Speech-Language-Hearing Association |publisher=American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) |access-date=26 May 2020 |language=en |date=2004}}</ref>

Sometimes as an [[anatomical variation]] one or more of the tracheal rings are formed as complete rings, rather than horseshoe shaped rings. These ''O'' rings are smaller than the normal C-shaped rings and can cause narrowing ({{wt|en|stenosis}}) of the trachea, resulting in breathing difficulties. An operation called a ''slide tracheoplasty'' can open up the rings and rejoin them as wider rings, shortening the length of the trachea.<ref>{{cite web|title=Slide tracheoplasty|url=http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/s/slide-tracheoplasty/|access-date=2 October 2015}}</ref> Slide tracheoplasty is said to be the best option in treating tracheal stenosis.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Xue B, Liang B, Wang S, Zhu L, Lu Z, Xu Z | title = One-stage surgical correction of congenital tracheal stenosis complicated with congenital heart disease in infants and young children | journal = Journal of Cardiac Surgery | volume = 30 | issue = 1 | pages = 97–103 | date = January 2015 | pmid = 25109422 | doi = 10.1111/jocs.12418 | s2cid = 25335958 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

[[Mounier-Kuhn syndrome]] is a rare congenital disorder of an abnormally enlarged trachea, characterised by absent elastic fibres, smooth muscle thinning, and a tendency to get recurrent respiratory tract infections.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Menon B, Aggarwal B, Iqbal A | title = Mounier-Kuhn syndrome: report of 8 cases of tracheobronchomegaly with associated complications | journal = Southern Medical Journal | volume = 101 | issue = 1 | pages = 83–87 | date = January 2008 | pmid = 18176298 | doi = 10.1097/SMJ.0b013e31815d4259 }}</ref>