Curriculum · ENT, Ophthalmology, and Dermatology
Subglottic stenosis
What it is
Subglottic stenosis is a narrowing at the level of the subglottis, and it belongs to the chronic, acquired causes of stridor. The causes of stridor divide first into acute or sub-acute and chronic. The acute or sub-acute group divides into non-infectious, which are foreign body aspiration, anaphylaxis and airway burn, and infectious, which are bacterial tracheitis, epiglottitis, croup, retropharyngeal abscess and peritonsillar abscess. The chronic group divides into congenital, which are laryngomalacia, choanal atresia, vallecular cysts, thyroglossal cysts and tongue dermoid or teratoma, and acquired, where subglottic stenosis sits with vocal cord dysfunction, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), vocal cord paralysis, hypo-calcemic laryngeal spasm and tumor.
Causes and risk
It often occurs after long periods of intubation and ventilation for respiratory problems.