We are happy to share that Matthijs Fockens is the first official PhD student from our research group to have completed his thesis! Matthijs works as an Otorhinolaryngologist Head and Neck Surgeon at Amsterdam UMC. During his training, he developed a keen interest in the development of the pharyngeal pouches and trachea, under supervision of Prof. dr. Freek Dikkers, dr. Carlijn Hoekstra and dr. Bernadette de Bakker. For his research, Matthijs made use of fetal samples of the Dutch Fetal Biobank. On the 17th of April he successfully defended his thesis in the presence of family, friends and colleagues.

Summary:

Laryngeal and tracheal anomalies are a collection of disorders that are accountable for morbidity and mortality in children. They primarily affect neonates and young children, and occur either directly after birth (congenital disorders) or develop at some point later in life (acquired disorders). In addition to key symptoms indicative of airway obstruction, such as dyspnea, stridor, and cyanosis, children may experience recurrent infections, feeding difficulties, and failure to thrive. Although these conditions are relatively rare, the disease burden for children and their families is high and the course of the disease can be fatal. The etiology of these conditions is often unknown, and it is unclear why a significant portion of children developing these anomalies also have other congenital disorders.

The studies in this thesis focus on two key topics to improve care for children with laryngeal and tracheal anomalies:

1. Improving our understanding of the normal development of the larynx and trachea will aid in understanding how laryngeal and tracheal anomalies develop.
2. Refinement of current therapeutic options will improve treatment outcomes in children suffering laryngeal and tracheal anomalies.

The chapters are organized in a chronological order of the developmental age of the studied population (embryo, fetus, neonate and child).