Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-22-2025
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Radiation-related laryngotracheal stenosis (RLTS) develops due to fibrosis of the airway after radiotherapy. We aim to characterize the presentation, management, and outcomes of patients with RLTS and compare these to patients with iatrogenic laryngotracheal stenosis (ILTS).
METHODS: In a single-center retrospective cohort study, patients diagnosed with RLTS between 2017 and 2022 were identified. Demographic data, risk factors, cancer history and treatment, presentation of stenosis, primary stenosis intervention, and outcomes were extracted. Patients were compared to a cohort of patients with ILTS and no history of radiation therapy. Data were analyzed using Fisher's Exact Tests and paired t-tests.
RESULTS: Seven patients with head and neck malignancies (six laryngeal, one thyroid) who developed RLTS after radiation therapy were included. One patient had supraglottic stenosis, three glottic, five subglottic, and two tracheal. Mean time to diagnosis of RLTS from initiation of radiation was 14.8 months (range: 2-46 months). Five patients were treated with laser ablation of stenosis. The patients with RLTS were compared to a cohort of 105 patients with ILTS. Patients with RLTS were less likely to have obesity (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.06; 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.003-0.99) and more likely to have coronary vascular disease (OR = 5.5; 95 % CI = 1.04-29.6). No significant differences in interventions or outcomes were found.
CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors for RLTS and ILTS differ, but management strategies and treatment outcomes are comparable.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.
Recommended Citation
Queenan, Natalia; Trivedi, Jay; Bertoni, Dylan; Siddiqui, Sana; Yap, Austin; and Tibbetts, Kathleen, "Characterizing Radiation-Related Laryngotracheal Stenosis" (2025). Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers. Paper 84.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/otofp/84
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
PubMed ID
40311495
Language
English
Included in
Diagnosis Commons, Otolaryngology Commons, Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Commons
Comments
This article is the author's final published version in American Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery, Volume 46, Issue 4, 2025, Article number 104643.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjoto.2025.104643.
Copyright © 2025 The Authors