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Wegener’s granulomatosis and subglottic stenosis: management of the airway

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2006

A. Alaani
Affiliation:
Department of ENT, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK
R.P. Hogg
Affiliation:
Department of ENT, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK
A.B. Drake Lee
Affiliation:
Department of ENT, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK

Abstract

Wegener’s granulomatosis is a multisystemic disease characterized by foci of necrotizing vasculitis and granuloma formation. Subglottic stenosis may occur either asa presenting feature or a late-stage manifestation of the disease, but will occur in approximately 10–20 per cent of cases.

We present a series of seven cases of Wegener’s granulomatosis with subglottic stenosis and discuss our management of this condition. Where there is active disease, tracheostomy is the first-line surgical treatment of respiratory obstruction, as an adjunct to full medical therapy.More aggressive or elaborate surgical treatments should be reserved for non-active cases in which patients have not required medical treatment for one year.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2004 Royal Society of Medicine Press

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