[Tracheal replacement: new perspectives].

Tracheal replacement remains a real challenge in thoracic surgery. For tracheal resections greater than 5 to 6 cm, end to end anastomosis is not possible. Several solutions including prostheses, tracheal homografts and various autologous tissues have been proposed for tracheal replacement but all are associated with multiple complications and surgical difficulties. None of the numerous experimental studies have produced consistent results allowing for a standardized clinical approach. We propose the use of an autologous aortic graft for tracheal replacement. In a series of experiments, we have observed a progressive transformation of the arterial graft into a tracheal tissue after implantation. This observation raises interesting questions concerning histological adaptation and may offer new perspectives in human tracheal replacement.