Laryngopyocele: An atypical case

Abstract

18672 described Morgagni’s appendix and called its saccular dilation a “laryngocele.” The dimensions of the laryngeal saccule are greater in newborns but diminish during the first few years of life. In 2% to 3% of the cases, this regression does not occur.3s4 The presence of a communication between the dilatated appendix and the lumen of the Morgagni’s ventricle differentiates a laryngocele from a saccular cyst. The saccular cyst is a mucus-filled5 dilatation of the saccule that does not communicate with the laryngeal lumen.6j7 Based on location, three types of laryngocele have been described. The internal laryngocele is confined to the interior of the larynx and represents one third of the cases, usually extending posterosuperiorly into the area of the false vocal cord and aryepiglottic fold through the thyroarytenoid muscle and the superior thyroarytenoid legament. The external laryngocele extends upward and protrudes through the thyrohyoid membrane to the laterocervical region, following the upper laryngeal peduncle or through a weakness between the middle and inferior constrictor muscles of the pharynx (Fig