Epiglottic Cyst Research Articles

Large epiglottic cyst detected on videofluoroscopic swallowing study

Large epiglottic cyst detected on videofluoroscopic swallowing study

A Clinical Study of Patients with Acute Epiglottitis

AbstractAcute epiglottitis is an acute inflammation of the upper respiratory airway that rarely causes airway obstruction. A retrospective study was conducted on 115 patients with acute epiglottitis from April 2007 to December 2017 (65 males and 50 females; aged 12–85 years old, median age of 45 years). When counting the number of patients according to the month, from April to September more than 10 patients were treated. Median duration from symptom onset to first visit was 3 days (1–14 days). Eight (7%) of 115 patients had diabetes, and 16 (13.9%) had epiglottic cyst. We divided all the patients into six groups by laryngeal findings according to the classification of Katori and Tsukuda. Number of patients classified as IA, IB, IIA, IIB, IIIA, and IIIB was 41 (35.7%), 21 (18.3%), 22 (19.1%), 15 (13%), 8 (7%), and 8 (7%), respectively. Median duration of hospitalization was 5 days (2–26 days). In the blood test on the first day of hospitalization, the number of white blood cells (WBC) ranged from 3,400 to 25,350/μL (median 10,350/μL) and the C-reactive protein (CRP) ranged from 0.01 to 23.3 mg/dL (median, 2.5 mg/dL). The number of WBC and CRP at the fourth day after the hospitalization was significantly lower than those at the first day. Eight (7%) patients required the airway management such as tracheotomy or cricothyroidotomy. Age, laryngeal finding (severe epiglottis swelling and arytenoid edema; Katori and Tsukuda's classification IIIB), and high inflammatory reaction in blood test (WBC ≥ 20,000/μL and CRP ≥ 20 mg/dL) were the factors that significantly correlated with the airway management.

Acoustic Characteristics in Epiglottic Cyst

The purpose of this study was to analyze the acoustic characteristics associated with alternation deformation of the vocal tract due to large epiglottic cyst, and to confirm the relation between the anatomical change and resonant function of the vocal tract. Eight men with epiglottic cyst were enrolled in this study. The jitter, shimmer, noise-to-harmonic ratio, and first two formants were analyzed in vowels /a:/, /e:/, /i:/, /o:/, and /u:/. These values were analyzed before and after laryngeal microsurgery. The F1 value of /a:/ was significantly raised after surgery. Significant differences of formant frequencies in other vowels, jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonic ratio were not presented. The results of this study could be used to analyze changes in the resonance of vocal tracts due to the epiglottic cysts.

Caught in the subglottic web-unanticipated difficult intubation

Unanticipated difficult airway still forms about 93% of the total number of difficult airway scenarios encountered. Difficult airway can be due to difficulty in mask ventilation, difficult laryngoscopy or difficulty in intubation. Difficult intubation can be due to a number of causes. Pathologies like enlarged lingual tonsil, valecular or epiglottic cysts, laryngeal papillomas, hyperplastic mucosal folds, oropharyngeal stenosis lead to difficulty visualizing the larynx. Tracheal stenosis, laryngeal webs, tumors of the larynx, airway trauma and undetected mediastinal masses lead to difficulty in advancing the endotracheal tube. Management of these cases is always challenging. Although a thorough history that includes previous endotracheal intubation, weight changes, episodes of dyspnea or wheeze may help identify at risk patients, very often these patients may be asymptomatic and the pathology may not be until the time of laryngoscopy and intubation. At the time of unanticipated crisis, following the stepwise protocol of difficult airway and being prepared for surgical airway access can prevent complications and save the life of the patient. Here we present two such cases of unanticipated difficult airway how we managed them. Post-operatively these patients were found to have laryngeal webs.

Infected Epiglottic Cyst Presenting With Stridor in an Adult: A Case Report

Infected Epiglottic Cyst Presenting With Stridor in an Adult: A Case Report

Ultrasound of Neck Masses in Pediatrics

US plays an important role in the evaluation of palpable neck masses in pediatric patients. The superficially located structures are easily examined and exquisitely displayed by US using a high-frequency linear array transducer. In most of the cases, US can differentiate cystic from solid lesions. For the cystic lesions, the imaging diagnosis is based on location. The midline or paramedian location of cystic neck masses in pediatrics mostly are thyroglossal duct cyst and dermoid/epidermoid when locating between hyoid bone and thyroid gland, ranula or plunging ranula when locating in sublingual or submandibular spaces, and dermoid/epidermoid again when locating at suprasternal notch. Epiglottic cyst can also be detected in its typical location when there is no intervening air. The laterally-located cystic lesions are branchial cleft cyst, venolymphatic malformation, and phlebectasia of the jugular vein. Lymphatic malformation has its typical location in posterior triangle of the neck. Contents within cystic neck masses in many cases are not echo-free and may appear as pseudo-solid lesions on US. For the solid neck masses in pediatrics, US usually can tell whether it is an enlarged lymph node or not. Like in adult, US may depict the suspicious lymph node for biopsy. The imaging diagnosis of the solid neck masses other than enlarged lymph nodes in many cases are nonspecific and need histological diagnosis. However, there are some typical solid lesions that the diagnosis could be provided, e.g., fibromatosis colli, infantile hemangioma, ectopic thymus, and ectopic thyroid.

Epiglottic cysts in clinical practice

A 50-year-old man presented to the otolaryngology clinic, complaining of throat discomfort for the past 3 months that worsened in the supine position. The clinical examination revealed one cystic lesion on either side of the epiglottis ([Figure 1][1]). The larger cyst measured 23 × 13 × 12 mm. The

Epiglottic cyst: rare, but potentially dangerous

A 34-year-old woman presented with a foreign body feeling and slight sore throat without dysphagia or dyspnoea. The symptoms had occurred a week earlier. About 2 years earlier, she had...

Epiglottic cyst as an etiological factor of globus sensation.

Globus is a subjective complaint that describes a sensation of a lump or a foreign body in the throat. Despite being a well-known and common clinical condition, the etiological factors have not been definitely elucidated yet. The study was set up to ascertain the relationship between epiglottic cysts and globus sensation. All patients undergoing investigation and treatments for globus sensation were included in the study. Patients with epiglottic cysts but no other possible causes of globus sensation were constituted the series of patients. Patients were asked to assess the levels of complaint before and after the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser excisions of the cysts. Epiglottic cysts were found in 10 (5.4%) of the 182 patients. Three of these 10 patients who had concomitant diseases or conditions that may cause globus sensation and one patient who refused the surgery were excluded from the study. All the remaining six patients reported relief of the globus sensation after the CO2 laser excisions of the cysts. Our results, obtained from this limited series, indicated that epiglottic cysts may be considered as one of the etiological factors of globus sensation.

Evaluation of the prevalence of and factors associated with laryngeal diseases among the general population.

Despite the high prevalence of voice disorders, the prevalence of laryngeal disease in the general population has not been determined using laryngoscopy. Factors considered associated with laryngeal disease have mostly been assessed using patient data or highly specific populations. We evaluated the prevalence of and associated factors with laryngeal diseases in the general Korean population. Cross-sectional study. We analyzed data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 19,039 participants assessed between 2008 and 2011. The prevalence, subjective discomforts rates of, and odd ratios (demographics, life-style factors, and diseases factors) for laryngeal disease were analyzed using simple and multiple logistic regression analyses, taking into account the complex sampling structure of the data. The top five laryngeal diseases in prevalence were laryngitis (3,513/100,000), vocal nodules (1,487/100,000), vocal polyp (404/100,000), Reinke's edema (347/100,000), and epiglottic cyst (296/100,000). Prevalence of laryngeal disease was higher in males, whereas the rate of subjective voice complaints was higher in females. In the logistic regression analysis, gender was not associated with laryngeal diseases after adjusting for other factors. We observed a positive association between low body mass index (BMI) and vocal nodules, and between high BMI and laryngitis, smoking and epiglottic cyst/hyperkeratosis/laryngeal cancer, higher education level and vocal nodules, and allergic rhinitis and vocal nodules/laryngitis/epiglottic cyst. The rate of subjective voice complaints and laryngeal disease co-occurrence was low. This study provides more reliable information of laryngeal disease because it includes participants without subjective complaints. 2b.

Prevalence of Perceived Dysphonia and Its Correlation With the Prevalence of Clinically Diagnosed Laryngeal Disorders: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2010-2012.

This study investigated the prevalence of perceived dysphonia and its correlation with the prevalence of clinically diagnosed laryngeal disorders. Subjects were 8713 non-institutionalized civilian adults over the age of 19 (3810 men and 4912 women) who completed the laryngeal examination of the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A Poisson regression was used to examine the association between perceived dysphonia and laryngeal disorders. Adjusting for covariates (age, sex, education level, income, occupation, alcohol drinking, and self-reported health status), those with perceived voice problems were 4.8 times (OR=4.75, 95% CI, 3.77-5.99) more likely to have laryngeal disorders than those without voice problems. In particular, the vocal fold pathology correlated with perceived dysphonia was: vocal fold nodules (OR=5.32, 95% CI, 3.43-8.26), vocal polyps (OR=3.73, 95% CI, 1.57-8.86), vocal cysts (OR=11.97, 95% CI, 1.97-72.72), Reinke's edema (OR=9.27, 95% CI, 4.77-18.00), laryngeal paralysis (OR=3.58, 95% CI, 1.56-8.26), laryngeal granulomas (OR=4.31, 95% CI, 1.01-18.80), epiglottic cyst (OR=2.94, 95% CI, 1.21-7.13), and laryngitis (OR=4.07, 95% CI, 2.91-5.69). People with self-perceived dysphonia had a high risk of laryngeal disorders.

Unrecognized epiglottic cyst: Cause of difficult mask ventilation.

Unrecognized epiglottic cyst: Cause of difficult mask ventilation.

Factors associated with severe epiglottitis in adults: Analysis of a Japanese inpatient database.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the factors associated with the development of severe epiglottitis in adults to provide information for physicians to make early decisions on airway management. Retrospective cohort study. Adult patients admitted to acute care hospitals with a diagnosis of acute epiglottitis between January 2011 and December 2012 were identified in the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database of Japan. The main outcome measures were: 1) severe epiglottitis requiring airway intervention or resulting in early death within 2 days after admission and 2) 2-day mortality. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between patient characteristics and development of severe epiglottitis. A total of 6,072 epiglottitis patients from 599 hospitals were identified. The proportion of developing severe epiglottitis was 9.4%, and 2-day mortality was 0.4%. Factors significantly associated with severe epiglottitis were older age, male sex (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-2.00; P < .001), body mass index (BMI) >25.0 kg/m(2) (OR 1.31; 95% CI, 1.05-1.63; P = .018), diabetes mellitus (OR 1.41; 95% CI, 1.06-1.86; P = .017), epiglottic cyst (OR 2.90; 95% CI, 1.46-5.78; P = .002), pneumonia (OR 2.90; 95% CI, 1.73-4.86; P < .001), and academic hospitals (OR 1.56; 95% CI, 1.21-2.00; P = .001). Epiglottitis-related admission was summer-dominant, but seasonality was not significantly associated with severe epiglottitis. Development of severe epiglottitis was significantly associated with older age, BMI >25.0 kg/m(2), diabetes mellitus, epiglottic cyst, or pneumonia at admission. 2b.

Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome: a growing problem

Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome: a growing problem

Forgotten Denture in a Hemiplegic Patient

A 74-yr-old man developed left hemiplegia because of a right middle cerebral artery territory infarction and also had clinical features of dysphagia and speech difficulty. At that time, he complained of neck pain, but the symptom was ignored because he had a nasogastric tube and had been diagnosed with a huge epiglottic cyst that had already shown several symptoms such as severe hoarseness and throat discomfort. A videofluoroscopic swallowing study was planned to find out the cause and the type of dysphagia. On the videofluoroscopic swallowing study, a foreign body was found at the hypopharynx. Surprisingly, it was confirmed as a denture. After removing the denture, the patient's swallowing and speech difficulty were significantly improved. This case emphasizes the need for elderly stoke patients presenting with dysphagia or communication problems to receive more careful history taking and a more complete physical examination, with the cooperation of several clinical departments.

Epiglottic cyst incidentally discovered during screening endoscopy: a case report and review of literature.

From the endoscopists' point of view, although the main focus of upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examination is the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum (usually bulb and 2nd portion including ampulla of Vater), the portions of the upper airway may also be observed during insertion and withdrawal of the endoscope, such as pharynx and larynx. Thus, a variety of pathologic lesions of the upper airway can be encountered during upper endoscopy. Among these lesions, an epiglottic cyst is relatively uncommon. The cyst has no malignant potential and mostly remains asymptomatic in adults. However, if large enough, epiglottic cysts can compromise the airway and can be potentially life-threatening when an emergency endotracheal intubation is needed. Thus, patients may benefit from early detection and treatment of these relatively asymptomatic lesions. In this report, we present a case of epiglottic cyst in an asymptomatic adult incidentally found by family physician during screening endoscopy, which was successfully removed without complication, using a laryngoscopic carbon dioxide laser.

An awake double lumen endotracheal tube intubation using the Clarus Video System in a patient with an epiglottic cyst: a case report

A 54-year-old male patient was scheduled for an elective pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy combined with video-assisted thoracic surgery at our hospital. This patient had a history of intubation failure in other institutions due to an epiglottic cyst. An airway assessment of the patient was normal. A preoperative laryngoscopy revealed a bulging epiglottic mass covering most of the epiglottis and occupying most of the pharyngeal space. The patient was administered intravenous midazolam 1 mg, fentanyl 50 µg, and glycopyrrolate 0.2 mg. A bilateral superior laryngeal nerve block was then performed with 2% lidocaine 2 ml on each side. A 10% lidocaine spray was applied on to the oropharynx. After preoxygenation with 100% oxygen over 10 minutes, a rigid fiberscope with an optical stylet loaded with a 37 Fr double lumen endotracheal tube was inserted orally and passed into the glottic aperture. The patient was fully awakened after surgical procedure and was transferred to the recovery room after extubation.

Anesthesia treatment in cases of infant epiglottis cyst emergency extirpation operations.

Congenital epiglottic cyst is a rare embryonic disease. As a congenital laryngeal mucocele, its clinical manifestations include repeated sudden dyspneic respiration and even suffocation accompanied by laryngeal stridor after birth. During food intake, bucking and vomiting is a key feature. Delay in diagnosis and treatment of the disease affects growth and the development of neonatorum leading to suffocation and death. This study was designed to investigate the safety of anesthesia in infants with congenital epiglottic cyst during operation to reduce the occurrence of its complications. The treatment of operations on 12 infants with congenital epiglottic cysts were retrospectively analyzed. Twelve cases of infants with epiglottic cysts received emergency enucleation. Owing to adequate preanesthetic preparation, cystectomies were successfully performed with microwave cauterization under suspension laryngoscopy. None of the 12 patients showed apparent suffocation during anesthesia, the surgical results were good, and after 6 months to 1 year of follow-up, the disease had not recurred. Because of the acute onset of the disease and its severe symptoms and complications, attention should be paid to improve preoperative preparation. Careful selection of proper anesthesia is the key to achieving a successful operation.

A Single-Arm, Prospective Study of Laser-Assisted Marsupialization for Epiglottic Cysts in Adults

A Single-Arm, Prospective Study of Laser-Assisted Marsupialization for Epiglottic Cysts in Adults

Use of light wand as an adjunct during intubation of patient with large epiglottic cyst

Use of light wand as an adjunct during intubation of patient with large epiglottic cyst