Abstract

Cricoid Reconstructive Surgery in Treating Subglottic and Glottic Stenosis

Introduction: Glottic and subglottic stenosis, and most notably the cricoid fracture, is a common sequela of larynx trauma, which has received inadequate and ineffective treatment. This is a difficult fracture with a high recurrence rate. It affects the patient’s airway and voice, forcing him to breathe through a tracheal cannula or depriving him of normal speech. These conditions badly influence his quality of life, leaving him as a burden on his family and society. This study is to evaluate the result of a glottic and subglottic reconstructive surgery through grafting. Materials and methods: A prospective study was conducted in a hospital in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. Data were collected from a descriptive clinical trial of 9 cases that were admitted to the ENT Department of Cho Ray Hospital. These patients displayed symptoms of glottic and subglottic stenosis and were being prepared for reconstructive surgery by grafting. Results: Total 9 patients were included in the study (9 males and 1 female). The main cause was identified as cricoid trauma (8/9 cases), with one case having an unknown reason. Most cases have a total or near total loss of glottic/ subglottic lumen. The rate for successful cannula removal for 6 cases was 77.8%. The study clearly demonstrated that glottic and subglottic reconstructive surgery through grafting is a difficult but effective operation to reconstruct the laryngeal lumen. Conclusion: Cricoid trauma gave rise to most of the glottic and subglottic stenosis cases, with the majority of the cases having a total or near total loss of glottic/subglottic lumen.

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