Objectives: To compare injury patterns of the stoma and surrounding laryngotracheal structures following percutaneous dilation tracheostomy (PDT) vs open tracheostomy (OT) that may contribute to decreasing rates of clinical tracheal stenosis.
Methods: A fixed (n = 40 + 16) and fresh (n = 20) cadaver study was performed in which human cadavers were randomly assigned to undergo either PDT or OT (40 fixed cadavers were first used to standardize the 2 surgical techniques, and 16 were then randomized). Stoma sites were surgically and endoscopically examined and graded for characteristic injury patterns using a previously described scale.