supraglottoplasty

DEFINITION of supraglottoplasty

supraglottoplasty is a surgical intervention primarily indicated for the treatment of severe laryngomalacia, a condition characterized by the collapse of supraglottic structures during inspiration. The procedure involves the excision of redundant, floppy aryepiglottic folds and, occasionally, the trimming of the cuneiform cartilages to widen the laryngeal inlet. It is distinguished from a tracheostomy, which bypasses the airway obstruction entirely, whereas supraglottoplasty addresses the anatomical source of the collapse. Physiological success is measured by the reduction of inspiratory stridor and the resolution of feeding difficulties or failure to thrive. Pathological variants include congenital laryngeal malformations classified under Q31.5.

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ETYMOLOGY of supraglottoplasty

latin | greek

Component	Origin	Meaning
supra-	Latin, supra	”Above” or “over” — denotes anatomical position relative to the glottis.
o	Greek, glōttis	”Tongue” or “glottis” — refers to the vocal apparatus.
-plasty	Greek, plassein	”To mold” or “to form” — surgical reconstruction or repair.

The word entered English in the late 20th century as a specialized surgical term, derived from the combination of Latin and Greek roots to describe the anatomical site of the repair. The root connects to related terms: glottis (the opening), Epiglottis (the structure above the glottis), and rhinoplasty (plastic surgery of the nose).

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🔀 ALIASES / ALTERNATE TERMS

• Supraglottoplastic (surgical technique)
• Laryngeal fold trimming (lay term)
• Aryepiglottic fold excision (clinical descriptor)
• Laryngomalacia repair (procedure category)
• Congenital laryngomalacia (Q31.5)
• Laryngeal collapse (J38.5)
• Inspiratory stridor (R04.2)
• Failure to thrive (R62.51)
• Epiglottic prolapse (Q31.8)
• Cuneiform cartilage hypertrophy (Q31.8)
• Arytenoid prolapse (Q31.8)
• Supraglottic stenosis (J38.6)

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🔗 RELATED TERMS to supraglottoplasty

• Tracheostomy — the opposite of supraglottoplasty; creates a bypass rather than correcting the anatomical obstruction.
• Glottoplasty — shares the root; surgical modification of the glottis, often for voice feminization.
• Laryngomalacia — the primary indication; characterized by soft laryngeal tissues (Q31.5).
• Stridor — the primary symptom; high-pitched breathing sound (R06.1).
• Microlaryngoscopy — the diagnostic procedure; direct visualization of the larynx (31525).
• Aryepiglottic — the anatomical structure targeted.
• Endoscopic — the surgical approach.
• Laryngeal stenosis — narrowing of the airway (J38.6).
• Laryngeal edema — swelling of the larynx (J38.4).
• Laryngitis — inflammation of the larynx (J04.0).
• Bronchoscopy — diagnostic tool for airway assessment (31622).

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CODING CORNER

🏥 ICD-10-CM CODES

Laryngeal Disorders

Code	Description
Q31.5	Congenital laryngomalacia
J38.5	Laryngeal spasm
J38.6	Stenosis of larynx
J38.4	Edema of larynx
R06.1	Stridor
R62.51	Failure to thrive (child)
Q31.8	Other congenital malformations of larynx
J04.0	Acute laryngitis

Secondary Diagnoses

Code	Description
R06.00	Dyspnea, unspecified
R63.3	Feeding difficulties
J45.909	Unspecified asthma
G47.33	Obstructive sleep apnea

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🔧 COMMON CPT CODES (Supraglottoplasty-Related Diagnosis & Treatment)

CPT Code	Description
31541	Laryngoscopy, direct, operative, with excision of tumor/lesion
31545	Laryngoplasty, partial, with excision of aryepiglottic fold
31525	Laryngoscopy, direct, with or without tracheoscopy
31526	Laryngoscopy, direct, with insertion of obturator
31540	Laryngoscopy, direct, operative, with excision of lesion
31570	Laryngoscopy, direct, with injection into vocal cord
31571	Laryngoscopy, direct, with injection into vocal cord, with scope
31572	Laryngoscopy, flexible, with laser destruction
31573	Laryngoscopy, flexible, with therapeutic injection
31574	Laryngoscopy, flexible, with injection of vocal cord
31575	Laryngoscopy, flexible, diagnostic

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⚠️ Coding Note: When coding supraglottoplasty, ensure the operative report clearly documents the excision of the aryepiglottic folds. If the procedure is performed bilaterally, append modifier -50. If a diagnostic laryngoscopy is performed at the same session to confirm the diagnosis, it is typically considered bundled into the primary procedure; however, if a separate, distinct procedure is performed, modifier -59 or -25 may be required depending on payer policy. Always sequence Q31.5 as the primary diagnosis for congenital cases.

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DERIVATIONS of supraglottoplasty

TABLE definition AS Definition
FROM #medterm 
WHERE length(filter(roots, (word) => econtains([[supraglottoplasty]].roots, word))) > 0 AND file.name != [[supraglottoplasty]].file.name
SORT file.name ASC

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Query functionality

TABLE definition AS Definition
FROM #medterm 
WHERE file.name != this.file.name
AND any(contains(this.description, description))

Med terms dictionary Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms