MALFORMATION AND STENOSIS OF THE CRICOID CARTILAGE IN ASSOCIATION WITH LARSENS-SYNDROME

Three patients with the typical features of Larsen's syndrome are desc ribed. All three developed severe respiratory symptoms caused by a con genital subglottic stenosis. Tracheotomy and treatment of the stenosis by means of laryngotracheoplasty resulted in complete collapse of the cricoid cartilage and the proximal tracheal skeleton, Lack of rigidit y of the laryngeal and tracheal cartilages in patients with Larsen's s yndrome could well be responsible for this failure. Surgical treatment consisted of resection of the stenotic and collapsed areas and end-to -end anastomosis. This therapy was eventually successful in all three patients.