title: Laryngomalacia: patient outcomes following aryepiglottoplasty at a tertiary care center.
abstract: Laryngomalacia is the most common cause of stridor in neonates and infants. Most cases are mild and resolve spontaneously without treatment. Only severe cases with intolerable symptoms require surgical intervention; in such cases, supraglottoplasty is considered the treatment of choice. The aim of this study was to review and present the outcomes in patients with laryngomalacia who underwent aryepiglottoplasty-a type of supraglottoplasty. The medical records of children diagnosed as laryngomalacia who were followed up at Hacettepe University Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, between 2007 and 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. The study included 16 children who required surgical intervention. The mean age of the 16 children included in the study was 133 days (range: 7 days-48 months). Among the patients, 9 (56%) were male and 7 (44%) were female. In all, 7 patients (44%) had a comorbid condition. Laryngomalacia diagnoses were as follows: type I: n = 2, 13%; type II: n = 13, 81%; type III: n= 1, 6%. Stridor completely resolved in 10 of the children who underwent aryepiglottoplasty. Three patients required tracheotomy and 3 required revision supraglottoplasty; these six cases were considered as failed surgical treatment. The aryepiglottoplasty success rate was 63%. None of the patients had any intraoperative or postoperative complications. Despite the primarily benign nature of laryngomalacia, comorbid conditions can exacerbate symptoms and negatively affect the prognosis. Aryepiglottoplasty can be performed with high success and low complication rates in properly selected patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. nildasuslu@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: A Erim
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Pamuk
authors.forename: Nilda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Süslü
authors.forename: R Onder
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Günaydın
authors.forename: Gamze
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Atay
authors.forename: Umut
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Akyol
mesh_terms: D001193:Arytenoid Cartilage / Q000601:surgery*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D055092:Laryngomalacia / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D059525:Supraglottitis / Q000601:surgery*; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D016896:Treatment Outcome