Management of subglottic stenosis in the adult. Twenty-one adult patients were surgically treated for severe subglottic stenosis refractory to endoscopic treatment. Patients were treated by anterior or anterior and posterior cricoid division with costal cartilage grafting. Seventy-six percent of the patients were successfully decannulated. Success of treatment was not dependent on cause of the stenosis or age or sex of the patient. There was a significantly better outcome (p less than .05) in patients with isolated subglottic stenosis versus those with combined glottic and subglottic stenosis. 