TRANSNASAL REPAIR OF CHOANAL ATRESIA USING TELESCOPES

Objective: Choanal atresia, consisting of a unilateral or bilateral bo ny or membranous septum between the nose and the pharynx, occurs in ap proximately one of 7000 live births. Conventional treatment has consis ted of watchful observation and elective surgical repair or immediate intervention using a variety of surgical techniques. We attempted tran snasal repair using a telescope to remedy the obstruction. Patients: O ver an 18-month period, six female and four male patients, who were be tween 3 weeks and 14 years of age at the time of surgery, underwent tr ansnasal repair of unilateral or bilateral choanal atresia with the ai d of a rod-lens telescope. All 10 patients had nasal stents made from endotracheal tubes that were fixed with sublabial and transseptal sutu res. Results: Seven patients remain free of symptoms 18 to 24 months a fter surgery. Three patients required revision surgery. Two of the rev ision cases recovered completely, with no restenosis 12 months after t he second surgery. There were no postoperative complications. Conclusi on: Transnasal repair of choanal atresia using a rod-lens telescope ap pears to be an effective procedure with low morbidity.