An approach to the failed cricoid split operation

Surgical management of an infantile elliptical cricoid: Endoscopic posterior laryngotracheoplasty utilizing a resorbable plate

The cricoid is a circular "ring" of cartilage in the airway. When the lateral walls of the cricoid approximate, it takes the shape of an ellipse. In severe cases, this also reduces the glottic aperture and causes respiratory distress, stridor, and failure to thrive. The elliptical cricoid has limited surgical options outside of open laryngotracheal procedures and tracheostomy. Recently, alternatives to autologous grafts have been utilized in airway reconstruction to reduce harvest site morbidity and increase operating room efficiency. Herein a case is presented that demonstrates the successful use of a resorbable plate in augmenting the posterior larynx in an infant with a severely elliptical cricoid to avoid a tracheostomy.

Short use of muscle relaxants following single stage laryngotracheoplasty in children

OBJECTIVE

The postoperative management of children undergoing single stage laryngotracheoplasty (SSLTP) includes intubation and muscle paralysis to secure the airway and protect the wound. We reduced the period of postoperative muscle paralysis in an attempt to decrease the incidence of pulmonary complications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the duration of muscle paralysis on pulmonary complications and outcome.

METHODS

Medical records of all children admitted, between 1994 and 2002, to the pediatric intensive care unit following SSLTP were analysed. Children were grouped according to the number of days muscle paralysis was used.

RESULTS

Thirty-six children (15 male, 21 female, mean age 32 months (9-162 months)) underwent SSLTP for laryngeal stenosis. Prior to surgery 29 needed a tracheotomy (mean duration 11.1 months). Shorter muscle paralysis leads to shorter intubation and mechanical ventilation and therefore PICU and hospital length of stay were 12.4 and 9.9days shorter in the group with short use of muscle paralysis (p<0.001 and p=0.002, respectively). There was no significant difference in postoperative complications, but a trend towards fewer atelectases in children with short muscle paralysis could be recognised. Postoperatively we observed no auto-extubations in either group and success rate of SSLTP was comparable in both groups (94 and 95%).

CONCLUSION

Children undergoing SSLTP can safely benefit from a postoperative strategy using a short duration of muscle relaxants. They have fewer days on mechanical ventilation with a concomitant decrease in duration of hospital stay.

The role of the anterior cricoid split in facilitating extubation in infants

OBJECTIVE

The use of the anterior cricoid split (ACS) procedure has facilitated the extubation of children with early subglottic stenosis who may otherwise have required a tracheostomy. Criteria have been established for the evaluation of patients suitable for ACS and adherence to these guidelines has increased the extubation rate and reduced mortality. The objective of the study was to assess the use of the procedure at our tertiary referral centre.

METHOD

In this retrospective clinical study, 33 patients were identified over an 11-year period between 1993 and 2004 with subglottic narrowing at the level of the cricoid ring, and who subsequently underwent an ACS. Demographic data, duration of intubation, indication and number of reintubations, success rate and complications were noted. Patients included in the study were infants who repeatedly failed trials of extubation and those who presented with persistent stridor.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine out of 33 (88%) children were successfully extubated as a result of the cricoid split procedure. Four children failed extubation after the cricoid split. Three required a tracheostomy and one child remained intubated for a prolonged period.

CONCLUSION

The anterior cricoid split procedure has revolutionised the management of early subglottic stenosis in selected neonates with failed extubation. It is a safe operation, and if successful it avoids the formation of a tracheostomy.

Formal reintubation for incipient neonatal subglottic stenosis

In a small prospective series of 10 children who presented with incipient subglottic stenosis following neonatal intubation a protocol of formal reintubation for two weeks, with sedation, enabled six of the children to avoid tracheostomy or other forms of surgery and in the remaining four it is unlikely that the trial of reintubation made the degree of laryngeal and subglottic damage worse.

Pediatric airway reconstruction at Great Ormond Street: a ten-year review. II. Revisional airway reconstruction

One hundred eight consecutive patients with pediatric laryngotracheal stenosis requiring airway reconstruction over a 10-year period were reviewed. Thirty-two patients required revisional airway reconstruction in an attempt to achieve decannulation. Patients underwent from one to four revisional airway reconstructions, most often laryngotracheal reconstruction with costal cartilage grafting. In the Cotton grading scheme of preoperative stenosis, those patients requiring revisional airway surgery tended to come from the more severely affected categories. Twenty-two patients of 32 (69%) achieved decannulation with revisional airway reconstruction. Thus, revisional airway reconstruction is indicated if the first attempt fails.

Anterior cricoid split. Update 1991

The management of neonatal subglottic stenosis by the anterior cricoid split procedure (ACS) has evolved rapidly since this operation was first described by Cotton and Seid in 1980. Recent reports have specified criteria for the evaluation of patients for ACS, and adherence to these guidelines has increased the extubation rate and decreased the mortality rate in these series. Ninety-one patients have undergone anterior cricoid split at Children's Hospital Medical Center (Cincinnati, OH) since 1977. These cases were reviewed, emphasizing the 24 infants treated since January 1, 1988, and not previously reported. In comparison to our most recent report of 70% extubation and 10.4% mortality, 67% of the latest group were extubated, while mortality was reduced to 4.1%. These results were achieved despite some relaxation of strict patient-selection guidelines when this was appropriate in individual patients, emphasizing the need for careful clinical evaluation and close consultation between otolaryngologist and pediatrician in the selection of patients for ACS.

Endoscopic holmium laser laryngotracheoplasty in animal models

Subglottic stenosis remains a difficult clinical problem with varied management approaches. An accepted procedure has been anterior and posterior cricoid incisions through an external approach for treatment of severe stenoses without a tracheotomy. The holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser, 2.1 microns wavelength with a pulsed output, is transmissible through standard fibers and ablates soft tissue and cartilage with minimal surrounding damage. This study in in vitro and in vivo animal models shows that this new laser can be used to incise the anterior and posterior cricoid and tracheal cartilages with precise control and may be suitable for endoscopic laryngotracheoplasty.

Ferret model for acquired subglottic stenosis

Researchers continue to look for an improved animal model for the study of acquired subglottic stenosis. This report describes a ferret model that reliably produces 40% to 60% stenosis with a method analogous to the pathophysiology of prolonged endotracheal intubation. Unlike some previously developed animal models, this model has a low morbidity and a perioperative mortality of less than 5%. Ferrets are small, hardy animals that are inexpensive and easy to house, handle, and anesthetize. They are readily available from breeders in a uniform size, age, and sex. Their airway is disproportionately large for their body size, making them particularly well suited for the study of acquired subglottic stenosis and subsequent surgical therapy.