Unsuspected subglottic stenosis in a 5-year-old scheduled for elective surgery.

Acquired laryngotracheal stenosis is one of the serious complications of tracheal intubation. We report a case of unsuspected subglottic stenosis in a 5-year-old, who was scheduled for elective surgery and whose trachea had been intubated for 35 days in early infancy. Difficulties with airway management resulted in postponement of scheduled surgery. In the preanesthetic evaluation of suspected subglottic stenosis, high-voltage radiography of the neck is a useful, less-invasive, and inexpensive examination.