Is it only damage of perichondrium, or is it already epithelial damage that triggers inflammation, subepithelial remodeling and stenosis ? I'm sure that scarring does not necessarily need to involve the cartilage.
I've searched an article by Sittel, that is available open access. He claims, that the cricoid is the only part of the upper airways that is build by the entire circumference of cartilage and presents the smallest diameter of the windpipe resp. in the upper airways.