Background: Paediatric airway disorders are common, particularly in the context of improved ventilation methods for neonates in intensive care units. Management is not standardised.
Objectives: To assess the number, severity, management and outcomes of all patients diagnosed with subglottic stenosis at a developing tertiary referral centre.
Study design: 19 month prospective longitudinal study.
Study population: All patients who underwent microlaryngobronchoscopy (MLB) were included. Subglottic stenosis (SGS) was graded intraoperatively using the Myer-Cotton classification.
Results: 102 patients underwent MLB during this period. 33 of 102 patients (32.4%) were diagnosed with SGS+/-other co-pathologies. Mean and median age at diagnostic procedure were 24.7 months (SD 23.5) and 18 months, respectively. At their first MLB, 22 of 33 patients (66.7%) were found to have a Grade 1 SGS, 7 of 33 (21.2%) were Grade 2 and the remaining 4 of 33 (12.1%) were Grade 3. We had no patients with Grade 4 SGS. During this period, these patients with SGS underwent 73 MLBs+/-interventions (2.21 per patient) such as incision and balloon dilatation, tracheostomy (2 of 33) or ultimately, laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR) (2 of 33). A further 3 patients have since undergone LTR. No significant unexpected events occurred.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that subglottic stenosis may be evolving in terms of its presentation and management. Management can more often be endoscopic and perhaps avoid tracheostomy or laryngotracheal reconstruction. Further long term prospective studies are required.
Keywords: Endoscope; Laryngotracheal reconstruction; Paediatric; Stridor; Subglottic stenosis.
Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.