Abstract
Aquired subglottic stenosis is caused by infection, trauma from prolonged intubation and external airway injury, systemic disorders and other etiologies. idiopathic stenosis of the subglottic airway is diagnosed by exclusion and is extremely rare and not well documented in the literature. We report a case of a 28-year-old woman, complaining of stridor and dyspnea. A laryngoscopic examination revealed a circumferential subglottic stenosis about 2.5cm from the glottis. CT and MRI studies showed intratracheal stenosis of soft tissue without any damage to the tracheal cartilage. Traumatic, iatrogenic, infectious and specific inflammatory processes were excluded. The stenotic scar was managed by an external tracheal incision after tracheostomy using an endoscope, without cutting the cricoid cartilage, and a silicone T-tube was inserted into the resection site. No sign of re-stenosis was observed from removal of the tube and the tracheostomy stoma was closed 9 months after the surgery. The diagnosis and the treatment of idiopathic subglottic stenosis are discussed.
