Cell-Based Therapy for Ac- quired Subglottic Stenosis: A Review of Research and Future Directions

Acquired subglottic stenosis (a SGS) continues to pose great challenge to patients and clinicians due to lack of effective treatment strategies. Our understanding in pathophysiology of a SGS has significantly advanced in the past decades; however, much still remains to be elucidated. The purpose of this review is to describe current state of research in acquired subglottic stenosis, and discuss future research directions. First, clinical definition and significance of a SGS are discussed. The second section focuses on review of literature that deals with the pathophysiology of a SGS. Histological studies of human samples, animal studies, and in-vitro studies are discussed. The review ends with a discussion on the potential of cell-therapy for a SGS with special attention to mesenchymal stem cell therapy.