Laryngeal Stenosis in Children: With Special Reference to Treatment With Core Molds

Laryngeal stenosis may be considered as acute or chronic, depending on the cause and the duration of symptoms. Any condition that narrows the lumen of the larynx and subglottic area in a relatively short time will cause laryngeal symptoms of acute stenosis, while symptoms in chronic stenosis may be insidious, developing over a longer period. Laryngeal symptoms, whether acute or chronic, when encountered in children differ in many respects from laryngeal symptoms in adults, for several reasons; in fact, the symptoms may differ in the same disease in children and adults. The cartilages and general structure of a child's larynx are extremely delicate, and the glottic chink in a normally developed larynx is small and readily encroached on by a slight amount of inflammation or swelling of the laryngeal mucosa, a condition which interferes with respiration. The subglottic area in children under 3 years of age is vascular and the