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Congenital Laryngomalacia: Disease Spectrum and Management

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Disorders of the Neonatal Airway

Abstract

Laryngomalacia is the most common laryngeal anomaly, affecting 45–75 % of infants with congenital stridor. Laryngomalacia is due to the dynamic prolapse of supraglottic tissues into the airway during inspiration. Prolapse of supraglottic tissues produces a variable amount of airway obstruction and inspiratory stridor. A majority of infants have mild disease and are managed expectantly. Those with moderate and severe disease are managed with gastroesophageal reflux therapy, feeding modifications, and surgical intervention. Surgical intervention is required in 20 % of infants. Supraglottoplasty is the mainstay of surgical treatment; tracheostomy is rarely needed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    April Landry M.D.

  2. Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Dana M. Thompson M.D., M.S.

Authors
  1. April Landry M.D.
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  2. Dana M. Thompson M.D., M.S.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dana M. Thompson M.D., M.S. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Attending Neonatologist, Director Neonatal Outreach, Medical Director, Neonatal Airway Program, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Department of Neonatology, The University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Janet Lioy

  2. Attending Surgeon, Fellowship Director, Pediatric Otolaryngology, The Center for Pediatric Airway Disorders, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Associate Professor, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Steven E. Sobol

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Landry, A., Thompson, D.M. (2015). Congenital Laryngomalacia: Disease Spectrum and Management. In: Lioy, J., Sobol, S. (eds) Disorders of the Neonatal Airway. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1610-8_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1610-8_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1609-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1610-8

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