Abstract
There exists a widespread tendency to place the blame for a respiratory abnormality of any magnitude in infancy on the thymus gland, particularly if there is x-ray evidence of thymic enlargement. In the absence of x-ray evidence it is often assumed, as pointed out by Wasson,1that the roentgenogram did not accurately portray the situation, and the thymus still may be believed to be the cause of the symptoms. It is not our purpose to review or to evaluate current opinion on thymic enlargement or so-called status thymicolymphaticus. We have been impressed, however, by the apparent confusion of congenital laryngeal stridor with thymic disease as indicated by the fact that in the past three years almost all infants in whom we have established the diagnosis of congenital laryngeal stridor had been referred to us with the diagnosis of enlarged thymus. This paper thus has been prompted by an experience
Highlights
In a paper dealing with this rare condition Dr Newcomb 1 defines the term as meaning a stridor coming on within a few days of birth, continuing for a certain period, measured usually in months, but possibly in years, apparently not doing the child much if any injury, and subsiding of its own accord without sequelae
Where laryngeal examination has been applicable it has revealed a malformation of the vestibule, epiglottis or ary-epiglottic folds
Some have regarded the stridor as merely a modification of the nervous mechanism of the larynx which is within the limits of health, and in most of the recorded cases the general health has been good
Summary
In a paper dealing with this rare condition Dr Newcomb 1 defines the term as meaning a stridor coming on within a few days of birth, continuing for a certain period, measured usually in months, but possibly in years, apparently not doing the child much if any injury, and subsiding of its own accord without sequelae. Where laryngeal examination has been applicable it has revealed a malformation of the vestibule, epiglottis or ary-epiglottic folds. The epiglottis has been found folded on itself, and the ary-epiglottic folds have been devoid of their usual firmness, so that their free ends, being thin and flabby, have nearly touched. In other cases the larynx has appeared to be normal.
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