Tracheobronchial reconstruction is a safe and effective procedure for patients with the neoplasms of low grade malignancy and bronchogenic carcinoma. We present herein a series of 18 cases that had tracheobronchial reconstruction, and discuss a postoperative complication and prognosis. From 1981 to 1997, 18 patients (2.8%) of 647 cases had tracheobronchial reconstruction with mediastinal lymph node dissection. The average age of the 13 males and 5 females, was 61 (range 51-72) years. We analyzed clinical features, postoperative complication and prognosis. Seventeen patients underwent sleeve lobectomy and one lobectomy with carinal reconstruction (Barkley's montage type). There were 13 squamous cell carcinomas, and one each of adenocarcinoma, typical carcinoid, adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma and undifferentiated carcinoma. Stage was IA in 3, stage IB in 6, stage IIB in 3, stage IIIA in 5, and stage IIIB in 1 patient. Curative resection was achieved in 11 patients and non-curative resection in 7 patient who had radiotherapy. Six patients (33.3%) had postoperative complications. Five-year survival and mean survival time were 92.3% and 126 months, respectively. Tracheoplasty group had significantly better prognosis than pneumonectomy group or lobectomy group (p<0.01). This study suggests that tracheobronchoplasty is a more useful procedure than pneumonectomy for lung cancer.

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