A descriptive study of benign lesions of the larynx; therapeutic management and outcomes

Abstract

Introduction. Papilloma is more common among neoplastic lesions, and vocal cord polyps are more common among nonneoplastic lesions. The objective of this study is to investigate the epidemiological factors, clinical features, etiopathogenesis and management methods of benign lesions of the larynx. Materials and Methods. It is a prospective study on 40 benign lesions of the larynx, in a tertiary referral medical period of 18 months (from March 2018 to October 2019). Detailed history and ENT examination as well as relevant investigations were performed. Results. Vocal cords were involved in 92.5% of cases, and both supraglottis in 7.5% of cases. Vocal cord polyp lesions were more common than papilloma lesions. Preoperative conservative voice therapy was recommended, and 70% of cases showed improvement. Coblation assisted laryngeal surgery and excision was performed in 1 case, while 11 cases were treated by microlaryngeal surgery. Voice rest and voice therapy was given to all post operative cases. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 18 months, and improvements were seen in 8 cases that were treated by surgery. All cases that underwent conservative treatment improved symptomatically. Conclusions. The most likely causes of treatment failure are due to ongoing predisposing factors such as voice abuse, smoking and alcohol consumption, lack of commitment to voice therapy and non-compliance with recommendations by patients.