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Surgical outcomes of Endoscopic Anterior Cricoid Split and Balloon dilation as treatment for paediatric subglottic stenosis: a retrospective case series

Objective: Subglottic stenosis (SGS), congenital or acquired, can present as life-threatening airway emergencies or ongoing respiratory symptoms in paediatric patients. In resource-limited settings, identifying a first-line surgical option to definitively manage SGS, as opposed to permanent tracheos...

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Main Author: Brownell, Louisa
Other Authors: Peer, Shazia
Format: Thesis
Language:English
English
Published: Division of General Surgery 2025
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access_status_str Open Access
author Brownell, Louisa
author2 Peer, Shazia
author_browse Brownell, Louisa
Peer, Shazia
author_facet Peer, Shazia
Brownell, Louisa
author_sort Brownell, Louisa
collection Thesis
description Objective: Subglottic stenosis (SGS), congenital or acquired, can present as life-threatening airway emergencies or ongoing respiratory symptoms in paediatric patients. In resource-limited settings, identifying a first-line surgical option to definitively manage SGS, as opposed to permanent tracheostomy, is the ideal. The aim of this study is to review endoscopic anterior cricoid split with balloon dilation (EACSBD) as the first-line definitive treatment option for selective SGS cases, in a resource-limited setting, and to retrospectively compare outcomes with published literature. Study design: Retrospective Case Series Setting: Tertiary Paediatric State Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods: Medical records of children with SGS managed with EACSBD from Jan 2020 to July 2021 were reviewed. Data collected included preoperative characteristics, intraoperative findings, postoperative course, and clinical outcomes. Successful treatment was defined as resolution of symptoms with no baseline respiratory distress. Institutional ethical approval was obtained prior to commencement. Results: Eight patients aged between 3-17 months (mean age of 6,8 months) were identified. Cotton-Myer grades ranged between 1-3. The aetiology of the subglottic stenoses were: 4 acquired, 3 congenital, 1 mixed. Five patients did well with no further intervention necessary. One patient required a single follow-up laryngoscopy and balloon dilation. Overall, 6 patients (75%) had successful treatment and remained symptom-free. All congenital SGS (3/8) patients were successfully treated. Two patients failed EACSBD for reasons unrelated to the procedure. One patient (1/8) remained intubated for 41 days post-operatively and required a tracheostomy for respiratory failure secondary to severe pulmonary tuberculosis. Three children had post-operative aspiration, two resolved with speech therapy. One child went home on nasogastric feeding. No procedural complications were reported. Conclusion: This is the first study from sub-Saharan Africa to describe a series of EACSBD in selective paediatric SGS. All congenital cases in our cohort were successfully treated, contributing to an overall success rate of 75%. EACSBD is therefore a safe and effective surgical option for selected paediatric subglottic stenosis. It is well-suited for resource-limited settings by offering a definitive solution that may avert a tracheostomy. However, it should be used with caution in patients with additional laryngeal pathology, those with higher risk of aspiration, and in cases of co-existing lung disease. Careful patient selection is therefore essential to achieve optimal outcomes.
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language English
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license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2025
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spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42234 Surgical outcomes of Endoscopic Anterior Cricoid Split and Balloon dilation as treatment for paediatric subglottic stenosis: a retrospective case series Brownell, Louisa Peer, Shazia McGuire, Jessica Wright, Kate Subglottic Stenosis Paediatric Endoscopic Airway Endoscopic Anterior Cricoid Split Balloon Dilation Limited Resource Setting Croup Objective: Subglottic stenosis (SGS), congenital or acquired, can present as life-threatening airway emergencies or ongoing respiratory symptoms in paediatric patients. In resource-limited settings, identifying a first-line surgical option to definitively manage SGS, as opposed to permanent tracheostomy, is the ideal. The aim of this study is to review endoscopic anterior cricoid split with balloon dilation (EACSBD) as the first-line definitive treatment option for selective SGS cases, in a resource-limited setting, and to retrospectively compare outcomes with published literature. Study design: Retrospective Case Series Setting: Tertiary Paediatric State Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods: Medical records of children with SGS managed with EACSBD from Jan 2020 to July 2021 were reviewed. Data collected included preoperative characteristics, intraoperative findings, postoperative course, and clinical outcomes. Successful treatment was defined as resolution of symptoms with no baseline respiratory distress. Institutional ethical approval was obtained prior to commencement. Results: Eight patients aged between 3-17 months (mean age of 6,8 months) were identified. Cotton-Myer grades ranged between 1-3. The aetiology of the subglottic stenoses were: 4 acquired, 3 congenital, 1 mixed. Five patients did well with no further intervention necessary. One patient required a single follow-up laryngoscopy and balloon dilation. Overall, 6 patients (75%) had successful treatment and remained symptom-free. All congenital SGS (3/8) patients were successfully treated. Two patients failed EACSBD for reasons unrelated to the procedure. One patient (1/8) remained intubated for 41 days post-operatively and required a tracheostomy for respiratory failure secondary to severe pulmonary tuberculosis. Three children had post-operative aspiration, two resolved with speech therapy. One child went home on nasogastric feeding. No procedural complications were reported. Conclusion: This is the first study from sub-Saharan Africa to describe a series of EACSBD in selective paediatric SGS. All congenital cases in our cohort were successfully treated, contributing to an overall success rate of 75%. EACSBD is therefore a safe and effective surgical option for selected paediatric subglottic stenosis. It is well-suited for resource-limited settings by offering a definitive solution that may avert a tracheostomy. However, it should be used with caution in patients with additional laryngeal pathology, those with higher risk of aspiration, and in cases of co-existing lung disease. Careful patient selection is therefore essential to achieve optimal outcomes. 2025-11-17T12:02:03Z 2025-11-17T12:02:03Z 2025 2025-11-17T11:56:02Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MMed http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42234 en eng application/pdf Division of General Surgery Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Subglottic Stenosis
Paediatric Endoscopic Airway
Endoscopic Anterior Cricoid Split
Balloon Dilation
Limited Resource Setting
Croup
Brownell, Louisa
Surgical outcomes of Endoscopic Anterior Cricoid Split and Balloon dilation as treatment for paediatric subglottic stenosis: a retrospective case series
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Surgical outcomes of Endoscopic Anterior Cricoid Split and Balloon dilation as treatment for paediatric subglottic stenosis: a retrospective case series
title_full Surgical outcomes of Endoscopic Anterior Cricoid Split and Balloon dilation as treatment for paediatric subglottic stenosis: a retrospective case series
title_fullStr Surgical outcomes of Endoscopic Anterior Cricoid Split and Balloon dilation as treatment for paediatric subglottic stenosis: a retrospective case series
title_full_unstemmed Surgical outcomes of Endoscopic Anterior Cricoid Split and Balloon dilation as treatment for paediatric subglottic stenosis: a retrospective case series
title_short Surgical outcomes of Endoscopic Anterior Cricoid Split and Balloon dilation as treatment for paediatric subglottic stenosis: a retrospective case series
title_sort surgical outcomes of endoscopic anterior cricoid split and balloon dilation as treatment for paediatric subglottic stenosis a retrospective case series
topic Subglottic Stenosis
Paediatric Endoscopic Airway
Endoscopic Anterior Cricoid Split
Balloon Dilation
Limited Resource Setting
Croup
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42234
work_keys_str_mv AT brownelllouisa surgicaloutcomesofendoscopicanteriorcricoidsplitandballoondilationastreatmentforpaediatricsubglotticstenosisaretrospectivecaseseries