[Tracheal resection for post-intubation subglottic stenosis in a patient with granulomatosis with polyangiitis...

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA or Wegener) is a systemic autoimmune disease with inflammation of small- and medium-size vessels. It can affect practically any organ or system, but renal, respiratory andjoint systems are most frequently damaged. Positive pANCA antibodies can raise the suspicion of diagnosis. Subglottic stenosis is relatively frequent, in a quarter of patients, especially in the third decade women. The case presented is of an 80-year-old woman, recently diagnosed with pulmonary, renal and systemic manifestations of GPA and with a subglottic stenosis rapidly evolving towards endotracheal intubation, tracheostomy with mechanical ventilation and renal failure. Further evolution has been favorable under corticoid therapy. After weaning from the mechanical ventilation and30 days after the suppression of the tracheostomy, the patient developed a tracheal stenosis with mixed etiology, secondary to vasculitis and prolonged intubation with tracheostomy. Tracheal resection with termino-terminal anastomosis was performed in emergency with simple post-operative evolution and without late complications.