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Scientific Oral Presentation

Laryngology/Broncho-Esophagology

Effect of GLP-1 RA Therapy on Operative Intervention Intervals in Patients with Subglottic Stenosis

Sunday, October 18, 2026
2:48 PM - 2:54 PM PT
Location: 406B

    Presenting Author(s)

  • TV

    Tereza Vitkovska, MS

    Medical Student
    UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
    Los Angeles, California, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Maxwell Weng, n/a

    Medical Student
    UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
    Los Angeles, California, United States

  • CC

    Carlos Castellanos, MD

    MD
    UCLA Department of Head and Neck Surgery, United States

  • Matthew E. Lin, MD

    Resident Physician
    UCLA Department of Head and Neck Surgery
    Los Angeles, CA, United States

    • Senior Author(s)

  • Dinesh K. Chhetri, MD

    Dr.
    UCLA Department of Head and Neck Surgery
    Los Angeles, California, United States

Disclosure(s):
Matthew E. Lin, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: Obesity and chronic systemic inflammation are independent risk factors in pathogenesis of subglottic stenosis (SGS). Given the significant effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) on weight reduction and inflammatory modulation, this study evaluated whether GLP-1 RA use was associated with longer intervals between operative airway interventions in patients with SGS.

Methods: Patients with SGS who were treated with GLP-1 RAs were retrospectively reviewed. Inclusion criteria required a SGS diagnosis managed with operative airway interventions, with at least one occurring both before and after GLP-1 RA start. Data extraction included patient-reported symptoms, percent stenosis, body mass index (BMI) over time, SGS etiology, indication for GLP-1 RAs, medical comorbidities, demographics, intervention type and interval between interventions. A linear mixed-effects model was used to assess changes in intervention intervals before and after GLP-1 RA initiation.

Results: Seven patients met inclusion criteria. SGS etiologies included idiopathic (n=4), post-intubation (n=2), and Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (n=1). Comorbidities included diabetes (n=3), cardiovascular disease (n=3), obstructive sleep apnea (n=2), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (n=3). The median number of operative interventions decreased from 3.5 before to 1.5 after GLP-1 RA initiation. Median BMI decreased from 35.4 kg/m2 (range 27.2–54.0) at start of GLP-1 RA and 34.5 kg/m2 (range 24.3–54.0) at most recent follow-up. Although the mean interval between interventions did not differ significantly (p=0.73), all patients demonstrated a longer interval between procedures following treatment.

Conclusions: In this small retrospective cohort, GLP-1 RA use was associated with longer intervals between operative interventions and symptomatic improvement in patients with SGS, although these findings did not reach statistical significance. These observations suggest a potential role for metabolic and inflammatory modulation in SGS disease course and support further prospective investigation.