Finding balance between minimally invasive surgery and laryngotracheal resection in the management of adult laryngotracheal stenosis

The efficiency of endoscopic versus open surgical interventions in adult benign laryngotracheal stenosis: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The optimal treatments for adult benign laryngotracheal stenosis presently remains controversial. The majority of the disadvantages of endoscopic interventions with high recurrence rate and open surgical therapy accompanied by sophisticated techniques, complication and mortality, highlights the dilemma of option for treatments.

PURPOSE

To compare endoscopic treatments with open surgical interventions in adult patients with benign laryngotracheal stenosis, analyze their clinical outcomes, recurrence, complication and mortality.

METHODS

In the meta-analysis, the databases including PubMed, Embase, Ovid and Web of Science were searched for studies reporting adult benign laryngotracheal stenosis, and clinical outcomes were compared. The duplicate publications, reviews, comments or letters, conference abstracts, case reports were excluded. The random effect model was used for calculating the pooled effect estimates.

RESULTS

Eight studies (1627 cases) referring to six retrospective and two prospective researches were ultimately included in the meta-analysis. The decreased risk estimates of recurrence rate in patients receiving open surgical interventions were detected, comparing with endoscopic interventions (P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed that decreased risk estimates of restenosis rate were also observed in patients receiving open surgical interventions compared with endoscopic interventions (P < 0.05), based on prospective studies, Europe and America, < 2-year follow-up, laryngeal stenosis, stenotic length without inter-group difference or stenotic grade II alone. However, there were no statistically significant difference of recurrence rate between the two interventions (P > 0.05) based on retrospective studies, South Asia and Africa, ≥ 2-year follow-up, involving tracheal lesion, stenotic length with inter-group difference, or stenotic grades of I-IV. No notable difference in the incidence of complication or mortality were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Open surgical interventions were more suitable for most laryngotracheal stenosis without contraindications. Endoscopic interventions are increasingly being used to treat simple laryngotracheal stenosis, as well as complex airway stenosis in carefully selected cases. Multi-center prospective randomized controlled trials should be conducted to search for the standard treatments for laryngotracheal stenosis.

Prevalence and incidence of idiopathic subglottic stenosis in southern and central Alberta: a retrospective cohort study

Background

Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is a reportedly rare disease that causes recurrent severe airway obstruction. Etiologies reported for SGS include idiopathic, iatrogenic, autoimmune, congenital, and traumatic, with variable ratios among different centres. From empiric observation, southern and central Alberta was hypothesized to have a disproportionate distribution of SGS driven by increased idiopathic SGS (iSGS) compared to previous literature. Identification of causative agents of iSGS will help understand and guide future management options, so this study aimed to characterize the demographics of SGS subtypes, define prevalence and incidence rates of iSGS in southern Alberta, and geographically analyze for clustering of iSGS prevalence.

Methods

SGS patients from Alberta census divisions No. 1–9 and 15 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were subtyped according to etiology of SGS and characterized. Idiopathic SGS prevalence and incidence was assessed; prevalence was further geographically segregated by census division and forward sortation area (FSA). Significant clustering patterns were assessed for using a Global Moran’s I analysis.

Results

From 2010 to 2019 we identified 250 SGS patients, who were substantially overrepresented by idiopathic patients (80.4%) compared to autoimmune (10.0%), iatrogenic (7.6%), congenital (1.2%), and traumatic (0.8%). The total iSGS prevalence was 9.28/100,000 with a mean annual incidence rate of 0.71/100,000 per year. Significant clustering was observed (Moran’s index 0.125; z-score 2.832; p = 0.0046) and the highest rates of prevalence were observed in southern Alberta and in rural communities heterogeneously dispersed around Calgary FSAs.

Conclusion

In southern and central Alberta, iSGS patients were disproportionately over-represented in contrast to other subtypes with the highest prevalence in southern Alberta. There was a three-fold higher annual incidence compared to previous literature demonstrating the highest rates of disease reported worldwide. Future research aims to expand the geographical scope and to assess for demographic or environmental differences within significant clusters that may contribute to disease pathophysiology.

Level of evidence

III.

Graphical Abstract

Reconstrucción de estenosis traqueal benigna: experiencia de un hospital de alta complejidad en Colombia

Introducción. La causa más común de estenosis laringotraqueal benigna es iatrogénica, secundaria a intubación orotraqueal. El manejo quirúrgico sigue siendo la alternativa que ha mostrado mejores resultados a largo plazo. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la experiencia en el manejo quirúrgico de la estenosis laringotraqueal durante 15 años en un hospital de alta complejidad en Colombia. Métodos. En este estudio se revisaron las historias clínicas de todos los pacientes tratados con reconstrucción de estenosis traqueal benigna, entre los años 2005 y 2020. Para el análisis estadístico se usaron métodos de estadística descriptiva, con análisis de frecuencias y medidas de tendencia central o de dispersión. Resultados. Se identificaron 38 pacientes con estenosis laringotraqueal, con un grado variable de estenosis. La nasofibrolaringoscopia fue bien tolerada y segura para determinar el grado y la longitud de la estenosis. El uso de tomografía sirvió para determinar la extensión y las características anatómicas. Los resultados del presente estudio son similares a los de la literatura en cuanto a complicaciones, mortalidad y falla de la anastomosis. Las complicaciones más frecuentemente reportadas son reestenosis, infección del sitio operatorio, lesión nerviosa y fístula, que en general se presentan en un tercio de los pacientes. Conclusiones. La experiencia de manejo quirúrgico de estenosis laringotraqueal en este hospital permite concluir que la reconstrucción traqueal es una opción segura en nuestro medio. Las tasas de éxito y de falla del tratamiento son equiparables a las reportadas en la literatura.

The efficacy of submucosal corticosteroid injection and dilatation in subglottic stenosis of different aetiology

Objective:

To determine the long-term efficacy of submucosal corticosteroid injection plus dilatation for subglottic stenosis as a single modality treatment in granulomatosis with polyangiitis and relapsing polychondritis, as compared with idiopathic subglottic stenosis and traumatic subglottic stenosis.

Method:

Patients who underwent dilatation for autoimmune causes were identified. Corticosteroid injection into the submucosa of a stenotic segment was followed by serial dilatation. Definitive improvement was defined as good airway patency for more than 24 months with no further procedures needed. Clinical, demographic and procedural data were recorded.

Results:

Patients (n = 45) were divided into three subglottic stenosis groups: traumatic (n = 24), idiopathic (n = 9) and autoimmune (n = 12). Patients were treated with dilatations, with a median follow-up time of 76 months. Six patients were tracheostomy-dependent. There were no statistical differences in the number of final improvements between autoimmune, idiopathic and traumatic groups, with values of 75, 56 and 71 per cent, respectively. There was no statistical difference between granulomatosis with polyangiitis plus relapsing polychondritis and idiopathic subglottic stenosis in terms of decannulation rates.

Conclusion:

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis and relapsing polychondritis patients have better improvement rates than patients with other subglottic stenosis types.

[The low-invasive treatment of laryngotrachealstenoses]

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of balloonlaryngotracheoplasty for the treatment of laryngeal and tracheal stenosis We undertook the analysis of the case histories of the patients presenting withlaryngotracheal stenosis who had undergone balloonlaryngotracheoplasty during the period from October 2013 till February 2016. A total of 21 histories of the patients (6 men and 15 women) were available for the investigation. Most laryngotrachealstenoses that occurred in 18 (85.7%) patients were of the idiopathic, post-tracheotomy, and post-intubation types. Their most typical localization was the subfold part of the larynx and/or the upper third of the trachea (76.2%). The length of the stenotic lesions varied from 5 to 20 mm (76.2%) and corresponded to grade III if estimated based on the Cotton-Myer classification (81%). The number of the balloonlaryngotracheoplastic procedures ranged from 1 to 4 (a total of 36 operations). The interval between the consecutive interventions varied from 1.5 to 104 (mean 20) weeks. In 16 of the 36 cases, dilatation of the narrowed portion was followed by the 4 minute application of mitomycin C at a concentration of 0.4 mg/kg. No complications were documented during the surgical interventions and in the postoperative periods. The treatment was associated with a significant enhancement of the maximum expiratory flow rate from 2±1.13 l/s to 4.23±1.9 l/s (p=0.000). The duration of the follow up period varied from 1 to 105 (mean 36.2) weeks. Mitomycin C exerted nosignificant influence on the increment of the maximum expiratory flow rate (p=0.174).

Rapamycin inhibits human laryngotracheal stenosis-derived fibroblast proliferation, metabolism, and function in vitro

OBJECTIVE

To determine if rapamycin inhibits the growth, function, and metabolism of human laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS)-derived fibroblasts.

STUDY DESIGN

Controlled in vitro study.

SETTING

Tertiary care hospital in a research university.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Fibroblasts isolated from biopsies of 5 patients with laryngotracheal stenosis were cultured. Cell proliferation, histology, gene expression, and cellular metabolism of LTS-derived fibroblasts were assessed in 4 conditions: (1) fibroblast growth medium, (2) fibroblast growth medium with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), (3) fibroblast growth medium with 10(-10) M (low-dose) rapamycin dissolved in DMSO, and (4) fibroblast growth medium with 10(-9) M (high-dose) rapamycin dissolved in DMSO.

RESULTS

The LTS fibroblast count and DNA concentration were reduced after treatment with high-dose rapamycin compared to DMSO (P = .0007) and normal (P = .0007) controls. Collagen I expression decreased after treatment with high-dose rapamycin versus control (P = .0051) and DMSO (P = .0093) controls. Maximal respiration decreased to 68.6 pMoles of oxygen/min/10 mg/protein from 96.9 for DMSO (P = .0002) and 97.0 for normal (P = .0022) controls. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production decreased to 66.8 pMoles from 88.1 for DMSO (P = .0006) and 83.3 for normal (P = .0003) controls. Basal respiration decreased to 78.6 pMoles from 108 for DMSO (P = .0002) and 101 for normal (P = .0014) controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Rapamycin demonstrated an anti-fibroblast effect by significantly reducing the proliferation, metabolism, and collagen deposition of human LTS fibroblast in vitro. Rapamycin significantly decreased oxidative phosphorylation of LTS fibroblasts, suggesting at a potential mechanism for the reduced proliferation and differentiation. Furthermore, rapamycin's anti-fibroblast effects indicate a promising adjuvant therapy for the treatment of laryngotracheal stenosis.