Chronic traumatic laryngotracheal stenosis.

The laryngotracheal trauma is defined as disorders of respiration, phonation and deglutition caused by either blunt or sharp force to the anterior neck. The larynx and trachea are usually hardly injured due to their anatomical relationship. The posterior wall of the larynx and trachea is protected by vertebral bones, and the upper portion and lower portion are protected by the mandible and the clavicle, respectively. Furthermore, the larynx and trachea themselves are so elastic that they are not injured easily. However, progress of emergency medicine and motorization has been increasing the incidence of laryngotracheal trauma. The update medical technique such as tracheal intubation and laryngomicrosurgery is increasing iatrogenic laryngotracheal trauma, recently. The laryngotracheal trauma is devided into two types, closed trauma that does not produce an open wound in the skin and open trauma caused by sharp knife or gunshot. Each type of trauma is devided into fresh and obsolete cicatricial trauma. The laryngotracheal stenosis is common in patients with the latter type of trauma.