[304] Tuberculosis.—In the non-cicatricial forms, galvanocaustic puncture applied through the direct laryngoscope will usually reduce the infiltrations sufficiently to provide a free airway. Should the pulmonary and laryngeal tuberculosis be fortunately cured, leaving, however, a cicatricial stenosis of the larynx, decannulation may be accomplished by laryngostomy.
Lues.—Active and persistent antiluetic medication must precede and accompany any local treatment of luetic laryngeal stenosis. Prolonged stretching with oversized intubation tubes following excision or cauterization may sometimes be successful, but laryngostomy is usually required to combat the vicious contraction of luetic cicatrices.
Scleroma is rarely encountered in America. Radiotherapy has been advocated and good results have been reported from the intravenous injection of salvarsan. Radium may be tried, and its application is readily made through the direct laryngoscope.
Diphtheria.—Chronic postdiphtheritic stenosis may be of the panic, spasmodic or, rarely, the paralytic types; but more often it is of either the hypertrophic or cicatricial forms. Only too frequently the stenosis should be called posttracheotomic rather than postdiphtheritic, since decannulation after the subsidence of the acute stenosis would have been easy had it not been for the sequelae of the faulty tracheotomy. Prolonged intubation may induce either a supraglottic or subglottic tissue hyperplasia. The supraglottic type consists in an edematous thickening around the base of the epiglottis, sometimes involving also the glossoepiglottic folds and the ventricular bands. An improperly shaped or fitted tube is the usual cause of this condition, and a change to a correct form of intubation tube may be all that is required. Excessive polypoid tissue hypertrophy should be excised. The less redundant cases subside under galvanocaustic treatment, which may be preceded by tracheotomy and extubation, or the intubation tube may be replaced after the application of the cautery. The former method is preferable since the patient is far safer with a tracheotomic cannula and, further, the constant irritation of the intubation tube is avoided. Subglottic hypertrophic stenosis consists in symmetrical turbinal-like swellings encroaching on the lumen from either side. Cautious galvanocauterant treatment accurately applied by the direct method will practically always cure this condition. Preliminary tracheotomy is required in those cases in which it has not already been done, and in the cases in which a high tracheotomy has been done, a low tracheotomy must be the first step in the cure. Cicatricial types of postdiphtheritic stenosis may be seen as webs, annular cicatrices of funnel shape, or masses of fibrous tissue causing fixation of the arytenoids as well as encroachment on the glottic lumen. (See color plates.)
As a rule, when a convalescent diphtheritic patient cannot be extubated two weeks after three negative cultures have been obtained the advisability of a low tracheotomy should be considered. If a convalescent intubated patient cough up a tube and become dyspneic a low tracheotomy is usually preferable to forcing in an oversized intubation tube.
Typhoid Fever.—Ulcerative lesions in the larynx during typhoid fever are almost always the result of mixed infection, though thrombosis of a small vessel, with subsequent necrosis is also seen. If the ulceration reaches the cartilage, cicatricial stenosis is almost certain to follow.
Trauma.—The chief traumatic factors in chronic laryngeal stenosis are: (a) prolonged presence of a foreign body in the larynx (b) unskilled attempts at intubation and the wearing of poorly fitting intubation tubes; (c) a faulty tracheotomy; (d) a badly fitting cannula; (e) war injuries; (f) attempted suicide; (g) attempted homicide; (h) neglect of cleanliness and care of either intubation tubes or tracheotomic cannulae allowing incrustation and roughening which traumatize the tissues at each movement of the ever-moving larynx and trachea.
Treatment of Cicatricial Stenosis.—A careful direct endoscopic examination is essential before deciding on the method of treatment for each particular case. Granulations should be removed. Intubated cases are usually best treated by tracheotomy and extubation before further endoscopic treatment is undertaken. A certain diagnosis as to the cause of the condition must be made by laboratory and therapeutic tests, supplemented by biopsy if necessary. Vigorous antiluetic treatment, especially with protiodide of mercury, must precede operation in all luetic cases. Necrotic cartilage is best treated by laryngostomy. Intubational dilatation will succeed in some cases.
[FIG. 109.—Schema showing the author's method of laryngostomy. The hollow upward metallic branch (N) of the cannula (C) holds the rubber tube (R) back firmly against the spur usually found on the back wall of the trachea. Moreover, the air passing up through the rubber tube (R) permits the patient to talk in a loud whisper, the external orifice of the cannula being occluded most of the time with the cork (K). The rubber tubing, when large sizes are reached may extend down to the lower end of the cannula, the part C coming out through a large hole cut in the tubing at the proper distance from the lower end.]
Laryngoscopic bouginage once weekly with the laryngeal bougies (Fig. 42) will cure most cases of laryngeal stenosis. For the trachea, round, silk-woven, or metallic bougies (Fig. 40) are better.