Laser laryngoplasty for laryngomalacia

Laryngomalacia is the most common cause of stridor in infants. In severe cases, it results in obstructive sleep apnea, cor pulmonale, gastroesophageal reflux, failure to thrive, and pectus excavatum. Our experience with 24 children who underwent laser excision of redundant supraglottic tissue from May 1987 to July 1991 is reviewed. The technique emphasizes preoperative planning with flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy, apneic anesthetic for the procedure, conservative resection of tissue and the need for complete airway evaluation. In our series, 71% of patients experienced complete resolution of symptoms. Nine of 10 postoperative sleep studies indicated improvement. In 4 patients, collapse developed later in other areas of the supraglottis, resulting in recurrence of stridor several months after the initial procedure, and requiring revision laryngoplasty. In several patients with other significant sites of upper airway obstruction (e.g., tonsils and adenoids, and a tongue base cyst), laryngomalacia became more significant following alleviation of the primary source of airway obstruction. Twelve patients (50%) required additional airway procedures either before or following initial laryngoplasty. Patient selection, sleep study data, and complications are reviewed.