Subglottic Stenosis

Subglottic stenosis refers to narrowing of the airway diameter below the vocal folds and may be congenital or acquired. Typical signs and symptoms range from recurrent croup and exertional stridor to complete airflow obstruction requiring tracheotomy. Management of moderate and severe subglottic stenosis often requires intricate surgical techniques. To optimize the success of these surgeries, a thorough assessment of the child's airway, lungs, reflux, and swallow needs to be evaluated. In order to provide concerted and coordinated care between typically otolaryngology (ENT), pulmonary, gastroenterology (GI), speech, swallow and language pathologists (SLP), “aerodigestive” teams have been developed and increasing in prevalence at children's medical hospitals. This article sets out to provide a brief overview of an aerodigestive program and evaluation, review a few of the more common laryngotracheal conditions, and the surgical techniques involved to augment the airway.