Abstract
A 53 year-old female who had undergone subtotal thyroidectomy for Basedow's disease developed dyspnea postoperatively and tracheotomy was performed. The cause of dyspnea was found to be laryngeal stenosis due to left recurrent nerve paralysis associated with postoperative vocal cord edema. Dyspnea persisted even after the subsidence of edema and decannulation was unsuccessful. A surgical widening of the glottis was not attempted for avoiding possible postoperative dysphonia and misdegultition, but a permanent tracheal fistula technique was applied for decannulation. The tracheal mucosa was sutured to the skin around the tracheostoma after revising the stoma. Decannulation was successful and the postoperative course has been uneventful for 1 year except for occasional misdegultition.
