Key Points

• The length of the adult trachea is about 11 cm, and its width is about 2.3 cm.
• The trachea grows steadily throughout childhood, and published data are available to predict length and width.
• The tracheal blood supply comes from two primary sources: tracheoesophageal branches from the inferior thyroid artery and ascending branches from the bronchial arteries.
• The trachea is enveloped in a connective tissue sheath, a fact that has surgical and pathologic implications.