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Idiopathic ulcerative laryngitis (IUL) is characterized by bilateral midmembranous vocal fold ulceration, which follows upper respiratory infection with cough. In contrast, granuloma of the membranous vocal fold can occur rarely following microlaryngoscopy, presumably secondary to surgical violation of deep tissue planes. We report a novel case of noniatrogenic membranous vocal fold granulation developing in a patient with IUL. Although the presence of granulation implied injury to the entire microstructure of the vibratory portion of the vocal fold, the lesion resolved with conservative management without adverse sequelae., (Copyright © 2012 The American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society, Inc.)

Objectives/hypothesis: To determine preliminarily if clinical or histological features of patients with laryngeal dysplasia/early carcinoma correlate with voice and disease outcomes., Study Design: Retrospective case series., Methods: All UCSF Voice Center patients treated with endoscopic surgery for severe dysplasia or early laryngeal cancer between 2004 and 2010 were identified. Preoperative stroboscopy, intraoperative appearance, and histologic characteristics (pattern of invasion, degree of inflammation, and degree of keratinization) of the neoplastic lesions were compared with cordectomy type and the outcomes of voice quality and disease-free interval., Results: Eighteen patients were evaluated. Increased stromal chronic inflammation correlated with longer disease-free interval (r(2) = 0.38). Cordectomy type correlated with both preoperative and postoperative voice parameters (r(2) = 0.42-0.68 and 0.33-0.39)., Conclusion: Increased stromal chronic inflammation correlates with improved disease outcome. Voice outcome correlates with the amount of tissue removed. The clinical appearance of the lesion did not correlate with disease or voice outcome., (Copyright © 2012 The American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society, Inc.)

Objectives/hypothesis: Idiopathic ulcerative laryngitis (IUL) is a distinct, clinical entity that presents after a prolonged upper respiratory infection with cough. It is characterized by the development of bilateral ulcerations of the mid-membranous vocal folds followed by a protracted course of healing. The purpose of this review was to characterize the typical patient presentation, clinical findings, and prognosis., Study Design: Multi-institutional retrospective review, Methods: Retrospective review of charts and videostroboscopic exams from patients with IUL at eight institutions., Results: Fifteen cases met the criteria for IUL and were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 49 years, and 93% were female. All patients were nonsmokers. Multiple medical interventions were employed by the treating otolaryngologist during the course of the disease, none of which resulted in acute resolution of the ulcerations. The average time from initial presentation to resolution of the disease was 3.3 months. All of the patients reported that their voice was improved after resolution of the disease process. However, in the majority of the patients (60%) there were persistent vibratory abnormalities after resolution of the ulcerations., Conclusions: This is the first multi-institutional study to define the complete disease course of IUL and to establish diagnostic criteria. IUL is a rare yet well-recognized clinical entity; however, there is no established etiology for this condition and no definitive treatments have emerged. Further study is needed to establish the etiology/risk factors of this condition and to determine optimal medical management., (Copyright © 2011 The American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society, Inc.)

Objective/hypothesis: Descending necrotizing mediastinitis is caused by downward spread of neck infections and constitutes a highly lethal complication of oropharyngeal lesions. This infection previously had a much worse prognosis. In recent years, more aggressive management has been recommended. The aim of this study is to evaluate the results with the association of thoracotomy and cervicotomy, medical care in an intensive care unit, and daily washing of drained cervical and thoracic tissues., Study Design: Retrospective study of 17 patients treated from 1984 to 1998., Method: Descending necrotizing mediastinitis was consecutive to pharyngitis (6 cases), peritonsillar abscess (3 cases), dental abscess (6 cases), foreign body infection (1 case), and laryngitis (1 case). Corticotherapy was reported in seven cases. Twelve patients had no particular medical history. Mean age was 42 years. Mean duration of signs before diagnosis was 6 days. Thoracotomy was associated with the cervical approach in 14 cases, whereas 3 patients were treated by cervicotomy only., Results: Fourteen patients of 17 (82.3%) were successfully treated. Three deaths occurred. The mean duration of hospitalization in the intensive care unit was 30 days, and the mean total duration of hospitalization was 45 days., Conclusion: Descending necrotizing mediastinitis must be detected as soon as possible by computed tomography (CT) scanning in patients with persistent symptomatologia after treatment for oropharyngeal infections. Prompt surgical drainage with thoracotomy and cervicotomy in all cases of mediastinal involvement below the tracheal carena, use of CT scanning to monitor the disease evolution, and medical management in an intensive care unit significantly reduces the mortality rate to less than 20%.

Acute epiglottitis is a disease with significant mortality. The patient, usually an otherwise healthy pre-school child, develops a sore throat and muffled voice from swollen supraglottic structures, and may progress rapidly to respiratory arrest. Early diagnosis and airway maintenance can prevent these fatalities. Whether to secure an airway by tracheostomy or endotracheal intubation is the subject of much discussion. Nineteen series totalling 738 cases of epiglottitis plus 11 new cases are reviewed. These patients were treated as follows: Tracheostomy = 348 (3 deaths - 0.86%); Endotracheal intubation = 216 (2 deaths - 0.92%); medical management with no artificial airway = 214 (13 deaths - 6.1%). The difference in morbidity and mortality between tracheostomy or nasotracheal intubation is so slight that the choice should be determined by local factors. Medical management with no artificial airway should not be used in children.

A series of 815 infectious croup (i.e., laryngotracheobronchitis) cases and 55 epiglottitis cases, encompassing an eight-year interval, is reviewed to determine the incidence of adverse effects of nasotracheal intubation used to manage upper airway obstruction. The racial, sex, and age distributions, in addition to modalities of treatment, are presented. The intubated cases (86 patients), representing 6.5 percent of all croup cases and 60 percent of all epiglottitis cases, are described in more detail with respect to presenting symptoms and physical findings. The average duration of intubation is 55 hours for epiglottis and 88 hours for croup. The incidence of immediate, reversible complications for the entire intubated series is 7 percent. The incidence of delayed, irreversible complications, as determined by: 1. noting any persistent post-extubation symptoms; 2. measuring peak expiratory flow rates; and 3. laryngeal polytomography, is 1.6 percent. The mortality secondary to intubation is 0 percent. The complication rate (1.6 percent) in this series of nasotracheal intubations is lower than the mortality (3.6 percent) in a large collective series of pediatric tracheotomies performed for airway obstruction in croup or epiglottitis. Other advantages of intubation vs. tracheotomy are described (i.e., shorter hospital stay, dilatatory effect of endotracheal tube). The authors conclude that nasotracheal intubation is safer than pediatric tracheotomy and should be considered the procedure of choice in the management of upper airway obstruction secondary to croup or epiglottitis.

Adult epiglottitis in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome has not been previously reported. A pale, floppy epiglottis with supraglottic edema, cervical lymphadenopathy, a normal to low white blood count without a shift to the left, and rapidly progressive airway obstruction characterize this entity. In this small series of patients, conservative medical management was not successful, and aggressive airway intervention with appropriate intravenous antibiotic therapy was necessary.