Absence of bacterial infection in the mucosal secretion in chronic laryngitis.

Abstract

To examine whether an infectious process is present in the laryngeal secretion in patients with chronic laryngitis. Mucosal secretion from vocal cords and ventricular folds from 14 patients with chronic laryngitis was examined. Twelve patients with healthy larynxes served as control subjects. Secretion from the laryngeal mucosa was sampled with an imprint technique during general anesthetic. The samples were stained and examined by light and fluorescence microscopy. The numbers of leukocytes and bacteria and the extension of phagocytosis were estimated. In the secretion from eight of the patients with chronic laryngitis we could observe huge numbers of bacteria, whereas only few bacteria were seen in the secretion from the control subjects. However, in both groups, only a few neutrophils were observed and phagocytosis was not present, indicating that the bacteria were present as colonizers. No infectious process is present in the secretion in chronic laryngitis. Further studies concerning the pathogenesis should focus on the pathological processes or conditions of the mucosa.