- Choanal Atresia
Choanal Atresia
Children who suffer from choanal atresia are born with blockage of the back of their nose, either by soft tissue or bone. Babies are preferential nose breathers, and can take several weeks to months before they transition to both mouth breathing and nose breathing. Because of this, it is critical that babies do not have any blockage of their nasal passages to breathe.
The condition may occur in the following forms:
Unilateral Choanal Atresia: Babies who have unilateral (one sided) choanal atresia will likely not develop any obvious symptoms early in the newborn period, but may occur as they become older.
Bilateral Choanal Atresia: Babies who are born with bilateral (both sides) choanal atresia will have nasal airway obstruction of both nasal passages. These children typically present with difficulty breathing as newborns.
Symptoms of unilateral choanal atresia include:
- Inability to breathe through one side of the nose
- One sided (unilateral) discharge or drainage
- Inability to pass a catheter through the nasal passage at birth
Symptoms of bilateral choanal atresia include:
- Inability to breathe after birth
- Cyclical cyanosis (episodes of turning blue except when crying)
- Inability to pass a catheter through both sides of the nose
We assess your child with this suspected problem through nasal endoscopy, and a CT (Computerized Tomography) scan to confirm the presence of choanal atresia.