Objective To review the research advances of the tracheal prosthesis. Methods The articles concerned in recent years were extensively reviewed. Results There were still many arguments about the use of tracheal substitutes. Avariety of artificial trachea had been designed and assessed, but so far none of them had been satisfactory for clinical use. The failures were mainly due to their high mortality and incidence of complication such as prosthetic defluvium, granuloma formation, local infection, air leakage, anastomotic stenosis or obstruction. Conclusion The major causes of the poor effectiveness by the use of tracheal prosthesis are closely related to its biological compatibilities. The selected biomaterials and the design of prosthesis hold the key to a breakthrough in research and clinical use of tracheal prosthesis.