Pediatric partial cricotracheal resection: a new technique for the posterior cricoid anastomosis.

OBJECTIVE Partial cricotracheal resection has become a more popular procedure in the pediatric population as a treatment for severe subglottic stenosis. We describe a new technique for the posterior cricoid anastomosis. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING This is a case series of 4 pediatric patients with a Myer-Cotton grade III or IV subglottic stensosis. SETTING Tertiary care hospital with a pediatric intensive care unit. RESULTS All 4 patients were decannulated and there were no observed complications to include posterior mucosal dehiscence and/or recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. CONCLUSIONS Placing sutures through the cricoid cartilage is technically less difficult than previously described techniques for treating subglottic stenosis near the undersurface of the true vocal folds and affords a more stable posterior mucosal suture line. SIGNIFICANCE This technique provides a surgical means to treat high subglottic stenosis that closely approximates the true vocal folds by enabling a stable posterior mucosa to mucosa apposition. EBM RATING Grade C-4.