THOMAS V. MCCAFFREY, MD, PHD

TAMPA, FLORIDA

The treatment of laryngotracheal stenosis has undergone a gradual evolution. The advantage of single-stage procedures performed without tracheotomy airway support have become apparent, both in the quality of the repair and in the convenience for the patient. Intracricoid subglottic stenosis, however, has remained a challenge, because the use of horizontal resection and reanastomosis has been limited to the lower half of the cricoid cartilage. A technique is described that has been successfully used in treatment of 5 intracricoid stenoses and permits a single-stage repair of stenoses that involve the upper portion of the cricoid cartilage. After resection of the stenosis, the trachea is advanced into the split cricoid ring to abut the glottis. The cricoid ring acts as a collar to support the repair, permitting a secure anastomosis without injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerves. The technique will be illustrated and the results more fully discussed in the presentation.