Laryngotracheal stenosis of autoimmune aetiology.

Autoimmune origin ranks fifth in the etiologic classification of laryngotracheal stenosis. Wegener's disease is the autoimmune illness most associated with stenosis; however, there are other autoimmune diseases that may also be associated with it. A descriptive, retrospective study of 9 cases of laryngotracheal stenosis associated with autoimmune disease was carried out. There were 9 patients (8 females and 1 male) with an average age of 27.9 years. Four of the patients suffered from Wegener's disease, 1 from ulcerative colitis and 1 from purple vasculitis. The other 3 patients only had positive c-ANA. Endoscopic treatment was performed in 3 cases. The other 6 patients required open surgery. Respiratory results were acceptable. Based on our study, we feel that the immunological profiles should be studied in all patients with stenosis, given that not only Wegener's disease is linked to stenosis.