Injection Augmentation for Type I Laryngeal Clefts

Abstract

Objective: Describe a series of children diagnosed with type I congenital laryngeal clefts (LC-I) and treated due to various presentations with endoscopic injection augmentation (IA). Method: This is a retrospective study. The children were identified from a prospectively collected database. Only those who were treated with IA (using hyaluronic acid derivatives) and had a minimum follow-up of 3-months were included. We collected demographics, diagnoses, surgical procedures, number of IA, clinical outcomes, and complications. Results: Over a period of 8 years, 32 patients were diagnosed with LC-I. Fifteen had undergone IA over the past 3 years. Mean age at IA was 28.67 ± 17.54 months with a male-to-female ratio of 8:7. The indications were swallowing dysfunction (13) and atypical croup (2). Seven patients required repeated injections (mean of 2.57 injections). A total of 10 patients responded with resolution of symptoms in question. No record of complications was found. Conclusion: IA is a brief, simple management option that succeeds in a number of children with LC-I. It is minimally morbid and supplements other conservative approaches to treat the condition.