Serial In‐Office Steroid Injections for Airway Stenosis: Long‐Term Benefit and Cost Analysis

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Serial In‐Office Steroid Injections for Airway Stenosis: Long‐Term Benefit and Cost Analysis via The Laryngoscope Serial in office steroid injection help avoid operative intervention regardless of stenosis etiology. Follow up of at least 2 years suggest that serial in office steroid injection can avoid operative intervention long term. There is potential cost savings associated with serial steroid injection over traditional endoscopic dilation. Objectives To evaluate the long-term benefit of serial in-office steroid injections (SISI) in the treatment of subglottic and proximal tracheal stenosis (SG/PTS). Evaluate cost of SISI compared to endoscopic dilation (ED). Study Design Retrospective study and cost analysis. Methods All patients with SGS/PTS with at least two consecutive in-office steroid injections between 2013 and 2021 were evaluated. Patients with less than 2 years of follow-up data after the initial SISI series were excluded. Demographics, etiology of stenosis, total injections performed, time between steroid series, surgery-free interval (SFI) and adverse events were collected. For patients with known surgical history before SISI, pre-SISI SFI was compared. Institutional billing records and the national CMS average reimbursement were evaluated. Total charges for three treatment strategies (ED alone, ED with post-operative SISI and primary intervention with SISI) were also compared. Results Forty-nine patients were included; 29 (59%) idiopathic, 11 (22%) traumatic and 9 (18%) rheumatologic. Mean (SD) follow-up time after the first SISI was 3.41 years (1.5), range (2.08–7.25 years). 79% (39/49) did not require additional surgery during the entire follow-up period. The SFI improved from a mean 13.5 months (SD 12.6; range 2–42 months) pre-SISI to a mean (SD) of 42 months (SD 20.2; range 10–87 months) (p < 0.0001) after SISI. Annual average charges for ED alone in our cohort was $15,383.28, compared to $7,070.04 for SISI. Conclusions SISI are an effective treatment for patients with SG/PTS. In-office steroid injections could offer cost savings for the patient. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 2023 View on Web

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