The extrathoracic airway in acromegaly

Pulmonary function tests and a radiological assessment of the larynx and cervical trachea were performed in 26 patients with acromegaly. Pulmonary function tests demonstrated six out of 26 patients to have upper-airways obstruction, while laryngeal tomography demonstrated 14 cases with marked narrowing of the true and false cords. The tracheal dimensions were normal. The thickness of both the true and the false cords showed a statistically significant increase, using the Mann-Whitney U-test, in both male and female patients compared with controls. The transverse tracheal diameter was significantly decreased in male but not female patients. These findings suggest that pulmonary function tests and radiological assessment are of value in indicating those patients with acromegaly who may be at increased risk when undergoing general anaesthesia.