Tracheal resection improves voice quality and dyspnea in patients with tracheal stenosis

Background Tracheal stenosis can significantly impair quality of life. This study investigates the impact of tracheal resection on dyspnea, voice quality and swallowing function in patients with tracheal stenosis.

Methods & Materials We retrospectively analyzed data from all patients who underwent tracheal resection at our center between March 2023 and March 2025. Patients’ dyspnea, voice quality and swallowing functions were assessed both preoperatively and postoperatively using a dedicated questionnaire. The questionnaire scored swallowing function from 1 to 7, voice quality from 0 to 40 and dyspnea from 0 to 4, with lower scores indicating fewer complaints.

Results A total of twenty-three patients underwent tracheal resection. The mean age of the patients was 58.6 + 12.6 years. Eighteen patients (78%) had post-tracheostomy stenosis, two (9%) had idiopathic subglottic stenosis, two (9%) had stenosis secondary to rheumatic disease and one patient (4%) had a stenosing subglottic tumor. The average distance from the vocal cords to the stenosis was 2.47 ± 2.08 cm, with a minimum of 0.5 cm. Fourteen patients (60%) underwent cricotracheal resection, which included dorsal mucosectomy in five patients (36%) and laryngeal split in one patient (7%). The remaining nine patients had conventional tracheal resection with end-to-end anastomosis. Tracheal resection resulted in a significant improvement in voice quality (7.6 ± 9.2 vs. 2.6 ± 5.2; p=0.01) and dyspnea (1.58 ± 1.46 vs. 0.37 ± 0.6; p=0.004). There was also an improvement in the swallowing function score (2.15 ± 1.27 vs. 1.63 ± 1.12), although this difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusion Tracheal resection for stenosis leads to significant improvements in both voice quality and dyspnea.

Publication History

Article published online:
25 August 2025