Laryngotracheal stenosis and restenosis. What has the influence on the final outcome?

The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of various parameters on the course and treatment outcome in patients with laryngotracheal stenosis and recurrent stenosis. Two groups of patients were compared: Group I included 29 patients with primary stenosis, and Group II included 22 patients with recurrent stenosis. The most frequent etiological factor for the development of stenosis was prolonged endotracheal intubation (79.3:77.3%), with subglottic-tracheal (44.8:45.5%) and tracheal (48.3:36.4%) localization being the most affected. Subglottic-tracheal stenosis was more common in men. There were no significant differences between the groups in regard to the grade of lumen obstruction and the length of the resected segment. In male patients, the length of the resected stenotic segment was significantly longer. Subglottic-tracheal stenoses were longer than tracheal ones. Various surgical procedures were performed, with additional management of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, if necessary. Laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR) with costal cartilage grafting (CCG) was statistically significantly more often performed in Group II, while cricotracheal resection (CTR) was more common in Group I. The incidence of complications in Group I was 24.1%, and in Group II it was 31.8%. Satisfactory airway lumen with undisturbed breathing was achieved in 93.1% of patients in Group I, and in 95.3% in Group II. Since the success rate was similar in both groups of the patients, it could be concluded that treatment outcome depends less on the factors associated with the stenosis, and more on adequate choice of surgical procedure and surgical team know-how.