Laryngopyocoele: an unusual cause of a sore throat

Abstract

Laryngopyocoeles are rare entities that present as airway obstruction or as neck masses. We present a unique case of a laryngopyocoele in a young patient with a sore throat. A 22-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a sore throat of 1-week duration. He had no other upper respiratory symptoms. His vitals were as follows: heart rate, 91; respiratory rate, 16; blood pressure, 119/60; and temperature, 36.8 (98.3°F). There were no signs of respiratory distress or airway involvement. The findings from his physical examination were normal except for tenderness on palpation of his larynx. A soft tissue neck x-ray was suggestive of epiglottitis. Fiberoptic laryngoscopy revealed a nonerythematous, edematous epiglottis and edema of the left arytenoid and aryepiglottic fold with slight bulging into the airway. A contrast neck computed tomography revealed a nonenhancing fluid collection at the level of the left arytenoid cartilage. The diagnosis of a laryngopyocoele was made. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit for airway monitoring and treated conservatively with intravenous antibiotics. The collection did not resolve by day 4, and the patient was taken to the operating room for incision and drainage of the laryngopyocoele. The patient made an uneventful recovery.