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Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis: A Comparison of Tracheal Size
Soroush Zaghi1, Jose Alonso2, Michael Orestes2
1Department of Head and Neck Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA soroush.zaghi@gmail.com.
Objective:
To assess the size of the cervical and thoracic trachea among female patients with idiopathic subglottic stenosis (SGS).
Methods:
Computed tomography (CT) scans of neck/chest from female patients with idiopathic SGS (n = 7) and normal controls (n = 30) were analyzed. Only female patients were included. The diameter and cross-sectional area of the trachea were measured at the level of the subglottic larynx, mid-cervical trachea, and mid-thoracic trachea. Measurements of tracheal size were compared between groups.
Results:
Patients with idiopathic SGS were found to have a significantly smaller cross-sectional area throughout the course of the cervical and thoracic trachea as compared to normal controls.
Conclusions:
Idiopathic subglottic stenosis is a rare but distinct subclass of subglottic stenosis characterized by smaller cross-sectional area throughout the course of the subglottic, cervical, and thoracic trachea.
Level Of Evidence:
3b: Individual case-control study.
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