Subglottic stenosis
Alerts and Notices
Synopsis

Most patients complain of shortness of breath, respiratory distress, or decreased exercise tolerance. If inflammation extends to the vocal cords, patients can present with a hoarse voice.
The severity of subglottic stenosis is graded on a scale of 1 through 4:
- Grade 1 stenosis refers to 0%-50% luminal narrowing
- Grade 2 stenosis refers to 51%-70% luminal narrowing
- Grade 3 stenosis refers to 71%-99% luminal narrowing
- Grade 4 stenosis refers to 100% luminal narrowing
Codes
ICD10CM:J38.6 – Stenosis of larynx
SNOMEDCT:
22668006 – Subglottic stenosis
Look For
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Diagnostic Pearls
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Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls
- Idiopathic subglottic stenosis
- Intubation trauma from prolonged or too-large endotracheal tube
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
- Relapsing polychondritis
- Complication of tracheostomy
- Asthma
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- Bilateral vocal cord paralysis
- Malignancy involving the head / neck (see, eg, laryngeal cancer)
Best Tests
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Management Pearls
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Therapy
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References
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Last Reviewed:02/05/2019
Last Updated:03/06/2019
Last Updated:03/06/2019