Sidra Medicine performs Qatar’s first pediatric laryngotracheal reconstruction with rib cartilage

Doha, Qatar: Marking a first for Qatar, Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has successfully performed a life altering laryngotracheal recon...

Doha, Qatar: Marking a first for Qatar, Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has successfully performed a life-altering laryngotracheal reconstruction surgery on a young child, using his rib cartilage.

The patient, Ali, was suffering from severe subglottic stenosis, or airway narrowing, making it difficult for him to breathe and putting him at increased risk of multiple life-threatening airway infections. Sidra Medicine’s expert ENT team performed a laryngotracheal reconstruction using Ali’s rib cartilage as a graft and secured it on his windpipe to expand his airway. The success of the highly complex procedure prevented the need to perform a trachestomy. 

Dr. Taseer Din, Attending Pediatric ENT Physician at Sidra Medicine, who performed the procedure on Ali, said: “Ali presented to us with severe breathing difficulties. It was a very challenging time for him and his family, and I am grateful for the trust his family placed in us. This was the first time a pediatric laryngotracheal reconstruction with rib has been performed in Qatar, requiring precision in harvesting and carving Ali’s rib cartilage and using this to expand his airway. It was primarily done to avoid the need for a tracheostomy. Seeing Ali thrive and breathe normally exemplifies why we are continually expanding and embellishing our complex airway services, and highlights Sidra Medicine’s pioneering role in providing advanced and personalized pediatric ENT care in the country and region.”

The complex procedure and post-operative care involved the coordinated expertise of Sidra Medicine’s otolaryngology, operating room staff and pediatric intensive care units.

Ali’s parents said: “Our little boy struggled with breathing complications since early childhood. Even a minor fever or infection would result in frantic visits to the emergency department. It was only after Ali was properly diagnosed at Sidra Medicine, that Dr. Taseer Din recommended emergency surgery with this new technique. We put our trust in Sidra Medicine and thanks to everyone’s efforts, Ali is thriving and breathing comfortably today. We are profoundly grateful to Dr. Din as well as the post-operative care teams at this wonderful hospital. We also want to acknowledge how lucky we are to live in Qatar for providing access to such services that gave our son a renewed quality of life.”