Subglottic stenosis (SGS), the narrowing of the upper trachea, can be an acquired condition in pediatric patients. Presenting with varying degrees of dyspnea and stridor, acquired SGS is most commonly due to intubation. Airway stenosis is often not considered a surgical complication, and no literature on acquired SGS after endoscopic sinus surgery exists. We present a unique case of a 13-year-old male with juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA), who developed SGS in the setting of progressive dyspnea six weeks after endonasal resection of his mass. He required urgent intubation prior to preoperative embolization and endonasal surgery, which prolonged his total intubation period. After the patient was found to have acquired SGS, he eventually required serial dilation to treat his stenosis. The presentation and operative course of this patient, along with images and pathologic findings, are discussed. Based on an extensive literature review of PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar, there have been no cases discussing SGS development post-intubation after endonasal surgery or in association with JNA. Acquired SGS can present as a life-threatening airway obstruction in pediatric patients. With the rise of endoscopic skull base surgery and the prevalence of JNA, this case study sheds light on the detection and management of SGS post-operatively.
Keywords: airway stenosis; dyspnea; endonasal endoscopic surgery; endoscopic surgery; juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma; otolaryngology case report; pediatric otolaryngology; pediatrics emergency; skull base surgery; subglottic stenosis.
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