Stenting for pediatric laryngotracheal stenosis

The treatment of pediatric laryngotracheal stenosis using open surgery to expand the airway has become a widely accepted and effective method. Stents and cartilage grafts represent the main features of expansion laryngotracheal surgery, which is indicated after failure of endoscopic treatment and/or in the presence of severe stenosis. Stenting is needed in all situations with the exception of using a single cartilage graft in the anterior subglottic lumen. There are several options available for stenting. The most valuable and commonly used stents are the Aboulker stent and the Silastic sheet roll. In looking for the features of an ideal stent, I analyzed 51 procedures using the Aboulker stent on 48 patients. The purpose of this report is to discuss these features and relate them to the Aboulker stent.