Gaurav Goel: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head Neck Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. Electronic address: gauravgoel96@aiims.edu.
Prem Sagar: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head Neck Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. Electronic address: sagardrprem@gmail.com.
Rajeev Kumar: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head Neck Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. Electronic address: rajeev9843@yahoo.co.in.
Kanaram Jat: Division of Pediatric Pulmonology and Intensive Care, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. Electronic address: drkanaram@gmail.com.
Sushil Kumar Kabra: Division of Pediatric Pulmonology and Intensive Care, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. Electronic address: skkabra@hotmail.com.
Vimi Rewari: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. Electronic address: vimirewari@gmail.com.
Rakesh Kumar: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head Neck Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. Electronic address: winirk@hotmail.com.
Alok Thakar: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head Neck Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. Electronic address: drathakar@gmail.com.
PURPOSE: Evaluation of the effect of supraglottoplasty on co-existing tracheomalacia in pediatric patients with congenital laryngotracheomalacia to establish the venturi effect in vivo. METHODS: A prospective interventional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital from 2020 to 2024. All consecutive pediatric patients undergoing supraglottoplasty for congenital laryngomalacia, with co-existing tracheomalacia on pre-operative bronchoscopic assessment were included and were assessed for change in severity of tracheomalacia by bronchoscopy and clinical parameters post-surgery as a comparison to the preoperative period. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients including sixteen boys and twelve girls aged 1-30 months underwent supraglottoplasty. Statistically significant reduction in tracheal collapse was noted in all twenty-eight patients post-surgery on bronchoscopic evaluation (mean reduction by 41.45 �� 9.72 %). Clinically significant improvement was seen in terms of severity of stridor, frequency of hospitalization, apparent life-threatening events, z score for weight for age and parental perception of resolution of symptoms of their ward. CONCLUSION: Supraglottoplasty for correction of laryngomalacia results in significant improvement in co-existing tracheomalacia. Associated medical comorbidities were not found to affect the positive outcome. Supraglottoplasty being a simple surgery with insignificant complication rate and very high success rate may be considered as the first line of surgical intervention in severely symptomatic pediatric patients with laryngotracheomalacia.
