ABSTRACT
The trachea is a conduit for ventilation. It would seem to be an ideal structure for reconstruction; however there are several unique anatomic features that make it extremely difficult to surgically reconstruct in certain instances. It is a rigid struc ture and is relatively short and close anatomically to major cardiovascular struc tures. The adult trachea averages 12 cm in length from the level of the cricoid to the carina. There are approximately twenty cartilagenous rings, about two rings per centimeter. The trachea, when viewed laterally, actually does not proceed in a direct superior-inferior course, but rather courses inferiorly and posteriorly and angles from a nearly subcutaneous position anteriorly going back to rest against the esophagus quite a distance posteriorly. The thyroid isthmus passes over the trachea in the region of the second ring.
