The following is the case of a 60-year-old male patient, a non-smoker, who was admitted to our unit with dyspnoea, dysphonia and a sore throat which had progressively evolved over several months. Fibroscopic examination showed a subglottic ulcer, which was biopsied and identified as a grade 2 laryngeal chondrosarcoma. A cervical CT scan revealed a subglottic lesion which had spread into the pre...

The function of the posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) muscle in phonation has not been well documented. To date, several electromyographic studies have suggested that the PCA muscle is not simply an abductor of the vocal folds, but also functions in phonation. This study used an in vivo canine laryngeal model to study the function of the PCA muscle. Subglottic pressure and electroglottographic, ph...

References: 1. Zestos MM, Hoppen CN, Belenky WM, et al. Subglottic stenosis after surgery for congenital heart disease: a spectrum of severity. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2005; 19(3): 367–369, indexed in Pubmed: 16130067. 2. Dalar L, Schuurmans MM, Eryuksel E, et al. Early tracheal stenosis causing extubation failure and prolonged ventilator dependency. Anaesth Intensive Care. 2013; 41(1): 108...

Endotracheal intubation plays a key role in the management of upper airway obstruction in emergency situations. It is non-invasive and easily learned technique by medical professionals as compared to other more skilled, surgical procedures, e.g., tracheostomy and cricothyrotomies etc. But prolonged intubation may result in numerous complications, most notorious being tracheoesophageal fistula a...

During a 2-year period, 7 children were seen with a severe form of laryngotracheobronchitis associated with sloughing of the respiratory epithelium and profuse mucopurulent secretions. We have called this condition pseudomembranous croup. The children had severe upper airways obstruction, appeared toxic with high fever, and were older than the typical age group for viral laryngotracheobronchiti...

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is an uncommon disease that is characterized by inflammation and destruction of cartilaginous structures. When tracheobronchial tree is involved, respiratory obstructive symptoms can occur. A 35-year-old man, with a previous diagnosis of RP, was scheduled for rigid bronchoscopy to relieve dyspnea, caused by subglottic stenosis. After laser splitting of the subglott...

Mitomycin-C is an antineoplastic antibiotic that acts as an alkylating agent by inhibiting DNA and protein synthesis. It can inhibit cell division, protein synthesis, and fibroblast proliferation. The purpose of this pilot study is to investigate intraoperative applications of topical mitomycin-C in treatment and prevention of glottic and subglottic stenosis. Eight patients with posterior glott...