Treatment of congenital cricoid stenosis.

Congenital cricoid stenosis is a rare malformation generally diagnosed at autopsy. Out of a total of fourteen cases reported by others, only five were treated successfully. Over a 10-year period, seven patients presented with congenital cricoid stenosis at the Sophia Children's Hospital in Rotterdam. On the basis of these numbers we surmise that this anomaly is less rare than is commonly thought. All seven patients were treated successfully. A new method of treatment is described, consisting of a combination of microsurgical laryngofissure and prolonged intubation with a new, low-friction, atoxic, soft, silicone rubber nasotracheal tube. The specially designed intubation material is also recommended for the treatment of iatrogenically damaged airways. The results indicate that this method constitutes a major advance not only in the treatment of cricoid stenosis but also in the treatment of damaged airways.