Not Just for Kids: A Rare Case of Congenital Laryngeal Cleft in an Adult

Christopher C Xiao; Luke S Schloegel; Nancy Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.05.017

Not Just for Kids: A Rare Case of Congenital Laryngeal Cleft in an Adult

J Voice. 2022 Mar;36(2):293.e7-293.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.05.017. Epub 2020 Jun 24.

Authors

Christopher C Xiao¹, Luke S Schloegel², Nancy Jiang²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center at Oakland, Oakland, California. Electronic address: Christopher.Xiao@kp.org.
² Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center at Oakland, Oakland, California.

PMID: 32593610
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.05.017

Abstract

Objective: This case report aims to increase awareness of the diagnosis of laryngeal cleft in adult patients and discuss treatment options.

Methods: Case report and review of the literature.

Results: We present a case of a 56-year-old male referred for hoarseness and chronic cough that was discovered to have a type 2 laryngeal cleft. He had chronic aspiration, recurrent pneumonia, and a hoarse voice for his entire life. In contrast to most described cases in adults, this patient was successfully treated with an endoscopic approach using absorbable suture.

Conclusion: Laryngeal clefts are uncommon and almost always detected in childhood, making adult laryngeal clefts extremely rare. Endoscopic repair is a feasible and successful treatment option in these cases.

Keywords: Adult; Dysphagia; Endoscopic repair; Laryngeal cleft; Voice.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Adult
Congenital Abnormalities* / diagnosis
Congenital Abnormalities* / surgery
Endoscopy / adverse effects
Hoarseness / etiology
Hoarseness / surgery
Humans
Infant
Laryngoscopy / adverse effects
Larynx* / abnormalities
Larynx* / diagnostic imaging
Larynx* / surgery
Male
Middle Aged

Supplementary concepts

Laryngeal cleft