Endoscopic treatment of laryngeal and tracheal stenosis—has mitomycin C improved the outcome?

OBJECTIVE: The management of laryngeal and tracheal stenosis remains a challenging problem despite advances in endoscopic surgical techniques. Scar formation and restenosis is the main cause of failure, and this study assesses the efficacy of two adjuvant treatments: endoscopic steroid injection and topical mitomycin C application.STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This is a retrospective cohort study comparing the efficacy of 3 endoscopic techniques: (1) carbon dioxide (CO2) laser incisions with bronchoscopic dilatation, (2) CO2 laser with dilatation followed by steroid injection into the stenotic area, and (3) CO2 laser with dilatation followed by topical application of mitomycin C. Included in the statistical analysis were 47 procedures performed by the senior investigator in a tertiary medical center between 1994 and 2001 based on their success or failure.RESULTS: The percentages of successful outcomes in the study groups were 15%, 18.2%, and 75% with the CO2 laser, CO2 laser with steroid injection, and CO2 la...