Management of acute laryngeal injury: a critical review

The approach to management of 30 cases of laryngeal trauma coming to open exploration is outlined. Eighteen patients had blunt trauma and 12 had penetrating wounds. Four cases resulted in airway compromise and all were in the blunt trauma group. Although significant granulation tissue response occurred in only eight of 30 cases, it was present in three of the four concluding with stenosis. It is demonstrated that the use of a stent, with a tissue graft, when mucosal approximation cannot be accomplished, facilitates prevention of endolaryngeal distortion and webbing and maintenance of skeletal framework integrity; its use did not predispose to granulation tissue development. A principal etiologic factor in those patients who had good airway but only a fair voice was arytenoid fixation, this despite anatomic reduction when subluxation occurred. Recurrent nerve injury was identified in only one patient. Foremost in management is suspicion and recognition of laryngeal injury in the multiple trauma patient. Once the urgent problems of hemorrhage, shock, and airway are attended to, attention must be directed to a systematic evaluation of the neck and larynx.