Methods: A total of 56 patients (35 males 21 females; mean age 39 years; range 7 to 64 years) who underwent tracheal surgery between January 1976 and January 2006 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were analyzed according to age, gender, primary disease, symptoms, surgical procedures and follow-up. Of the 56 patients, 21 had primary tracheal tumors, six had benign tracheal tumors, 24 had postintubation tracheal stenosis and five had posttraumatic tracheal injury. All of the patients were evaluated with rigid bronchoscopy after initial diagnosis.

Results: Dyspnea, tachypnea and cough were the most common symptoms of presentation. The surgical procedures performed were; primary tracheal repair, tracheal resection and end-to-end anastomosis, wedge resection and primary repair, carino-broncho-tracheal resection and reconstruction, and inferior tracheostomy. Postoperative morbidity and mortality rates were 8.9% and 1.7% respectively.

Conclusion: Although tracheal surgery is challenging because of anatomic and technical factors, it is important that, it can be curative in benign lesions and can give satisfactory results with additional radiation therapy. Results of tracheal surgery performed by an experienced surgical team in appropriate centers is rather successful.