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Case Reports
. 2018 Apr 30:2:17.
doi: 10.21037/acr.2018.03.01. eCollection 2018.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis causing subglottic stenosis-two cases and their management

Victoria Blackabey  1 , Richard Wei Chern Gan  1 , Helen Buglass  1 , Veena Kaul  1 , Victoria M M Ward  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis causing subglottic stenosis-two cases and their management

Victoria Blackabey et al. AME Case Rep. .

Abstract

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is characterised by vasculitis of small and medium sized blood vessels and granulomatous lesions of the respiratory tract. The aetiology is unclear, however it is thought to be due to an autoimmune process with about 92% of patients with the disease being antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) positive. Patients normally present in early adulthood, more commonly in the winter months. Seventy percent of patients with GPA present with ear, nose or throat symptoms. These include nasal congestion, crusting, epistaxis, nasal septal perforation and nasal saddle deformity. Lesions in the airway can lead to subglottic stenosis with resultant airway obstruction. Treatment of the disease complicated by subglottic stenosis is not straightforward and the benefits and risks of options including medical and surgical management need to be weighed up and tailored to each individual case. We describe two cases of GPA complicated by airway obstruction due to subglottic stenosis and their management.

Keywords: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA); subglottic stenosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan demonstrating diffuse circumferential musosal oedema and thickening in the glottis region.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Significant subglottic stenosis with interarytenoid oedema.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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