Tracheomalacia

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Lungs

Tracheomalacia is a weakness and floppiness of the walls of the trachea (main airway). There are three types of tracheomalacia. One type is congenital (present at birth); the others are acquired, meaning that the trachea is normal at birth but becomes floppy later in life.

Tracheomalacia in a newborn occurs when the cartilage in the trachea has not developed properly. This causes the wall of the trachea to be floppy rather than relatively rigid, as it is supposed to be. Breathing difficulties associated with congenital tracheomalacia (also called type 1) begin soon after birth.

Other types of tracheomalacia occur due to degeneration of previously normal cartilage in the wall of the trachea. This can happen when something outside the trachea causes pressure on the airway (for example, an abnormality of the blood vessels surrounding the trachea or a tumor in the neck or throat). This is called type 2 tracheomalacia. Breakdown of the cartilage in the trachea can also result from prolonged intubation or chronic infections involving the trachea. This is called type 3 tracheomalacia.

All three types of tracheomalacia are very uncommon.

Review Date: 10/25/2006
Reviewed By: Daniel Rauch, M.D., FAAP, Director, Pediatric Hospitalist Program, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.