Crushed Neck Injury With Laryngotracheal Transection and C2 Hangman's Fracture: A Case Report
In brief
Improvised tube stent helped restore airway after complete laryngeal transection in a young adult
A 22-year-old with a crushed neck injury, complete laryngotracheal separation and a C2-C3 Hangman fracture was rescued by using a modified endotracheal tube as a temporary laryngeal stent and titanium plate fixation. The approach allowed the patient to be decannulated and maintain functional breathing and voice at 10-year follow-up, suggesting a viable emergency technique when standard equipment is unavailable.
- Journal
- The Laryngoscope (Q1)
- Published
- 31 July 2026
- Study design
- Case series / case report
- Evidence level
- Level 4, Very Low (CEBM 4)
- Authors
- David Joseph Dillard, Colten Lawson Witte, Joshua Rapp, Ziad Obideen, Kenneth Walton, James Fortson, et al.
- PMID
- 42538600
- DOI
- 10.1002/lary.70787
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Otorhinolaryngology (paper of the day, 2 August 2026).
Abstract
A 22-year-old man sustained complete laryngotracheal separation, extensive laryngeal framework disruption, and an unstable C2-C3 fracture following blunt neck trauma. Emergency airway reconstruction using a modified endotracheal tube as an improvised laryngeal stent and titanium plate fixation ultimately permitted decannulation and durable functional recovery at 10-year follow-up.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.