Management of subglottic haemangioma

Between 1980 and 1993, 10 infants underwent endoscopic treatment and/or open surgical excision of a subglottic haemangioma. Of the eight children treated with the laser, four showed simple evolution following a single laser treatment, one required repeated laser treatments and two needed tracheotomy despite repeated laser treatments. The last three children developed moderate subglottic stenosis. Laser treatment was followed by open surgical excision in one child. Two children underwent primary surgical excision, allowing extubation between 8 and 10 days post-operatively. After a period in which we systematically treated subglottic haemangiomas with the laser, these findings have led us to employ open surgery in children with large subglottic haemangiomas or when airway obstruction requires a tracheostomy.