Fifteen infants and children with a severe subglottic stenosis underwent a partial cricoid resection with primary tracheal anastomosis. The etiology of the stenosis was congenital in 3 cases and was acquired after prolonged intubation in 12. Fourteen patients were tracheotomy dependent at the time of surgery, and 13 (87%) of the 15 were classified grade III (7 cases) and IV (6 cases) according to Cotton. The resection included the cricoid only in 5 cases and the cricoid and a segment of trachea (1 to 4 rings) in 10 cases. Decannulation was achieved after a single open procedure in 14 (93%) of the cases. The authors encountered no lesion of the recurrent laryngeal nerves and no fatalities. There was, however, 1 restenosis. Twelve cases were decannulated within 6 months, most of them at 2 months. The postoperative voice is normal in 10 cases, and a slight dysphonia is present in 4 cases. Twelve patients show no exertional dyspnea, and 2 exhibit a slight stridor while practicing sports. Ten of 14 cases have been followed for more than 5 years, with the longest follow-up now being 14 years. In all cases, the laryngotracheal development is normal. The results of this small series compare favorably with those of laryngotracheoplasty procedures usually performed for subglottic stenosis in infants and children. In the future, partial cricoid resection with primary tracheal anastomosis should be considered as an important treatment option for severe subglottic stenoses in infants and children.

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Until recently, severe pediatric subglottic stenosis (SGS) has been treated almost exclusively by laryngotracheoplasty procedures. Even in the most experienced centers, the results of single-stage operations for Cotton's grade III and IV stenoses have been disappointing. This paper reports our experience on 31 partial cricotracheal resections for severe SGS in infants and children. The stenosis was congenital in 6 cases and acquired after prolonged intubation in 25 cases. Twenty-seven patients were tracheotomy-dependent at the time of surgery. Twenty-two cases were classified as grade III and 9 cases as grade IV stenoses according to Cotton. The decannulation rate was 97% (30 of 31 cases) after an open procedure. There were no fatalities and no lesions to the recurrent laryngeal nerves, but there was 1 complete restenosis. Twenty-seven patients show no exertional dyspnea, 3 have a slight stridor with some dyspnea while exercising, and 1 patient is not decannulated. The voice is normal in 21 cases, a dysphonia is present in 9 cases, and the patient with complete restenosis acquired an esophageal voice. Postoperative follow-up is longer than 10 years in 8 cases and longer than 5 years in an additional 6 cases. All patients who reached adulthood show normal growth of the larynx and trachea. Considering the excellent results obtained in this consecutive series of 31 cases, partial cricoid resection with primary thyrotracheal anastomosis should be considered an important treatment option for severe SGS in infants and children.