Effective treatment of post‐intubation subglottic stenosis in children with holmium laser therapy and cryotherapy via flexible bronchoscopy

IMPORTANCE: Post‐intubation subglottic stenosis (SGS) in children can be life threatening. Definitive treatment varies and lacks a universally accepted approach. OBJECTIVE: We performed a prospective study to assess the safety and feasibility of holmium laser combined with cryotherapy delivered via flexible bronchoscopy for the treatment of post‐intubation SGS in children. METHODS: This study involved all patients with post‐intubation SGS seen at the Interventional Pulmonology Department of Beijing Children's Hospital between July 2014 and December 2016. Holmium laser treatment and cryotherapy was then performed under flexible bronchoscopy, whose parents refused to accept the alternative standard treatment of tracheotomy and balloon dilation under direct laryngoscopy. RESULTS: Sixteen patients with post‐intubation SGS were included in this study. Ages ranged from 2 months to 12.25 years old. According to the Cotton‐Myer grading system, three cases were Grade II, 12 cases were Grade III, and one case was Grade IV. According to the McCaffrey system, eight cases were Stage 1, two cases were Stage 2, and six cases were Stage 3. The average number of procedures was 4.88. Fifteen of the 16 patients achieved clinical cure. One patient achieved clinical improvement. The average treatment course duration was 55.31 days. No severe complications were seen. Post‐treatment clinical symptoms, endoscopic findings and quality of life showed marked improvement. INTERPRETATION: Our study supports the conclusion that holmium laser treatment combined with cryotherapy via flexible bronchoscopy appears to be a safe and feasible treatment for post‐intubation SGS in children.