Preston's Diagnosis

Subglottic stenosis

Thats right.  They tell me it is called congenital subglottic stenosis.  Basically what that means is that the cartilage that forms just below the vocal cords, called the cricoid cartilage, is supposed to be a round ring, for what purpose?  To hold the airway open I suppose.  Preston's coicoid cartilage is shaped more like a U allowing less air to move through his airway, and when he does try to move air (when he is sad or mad or coughing) he barks and sounds croupy. It means that when he gets sick and the airway becomes inflamed as is normal, his already narrow airway may make it difficult to breath.  The doctor classified it as somewhere between a 2 and a 3 in severity on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being completely closed.  We have been referred to a specialist who will determine if and when he will need surgical intervention.  I wish I had been able to get a copy of the scope photos.  They were pretty cool.  I will ask when we see the specialist.