Abstract
Objectives: To present a rare benign laryngeal tumor and its treatment using the laryngeal microdebrider.
Methods: Case report and literature review. A 76-year-old man presented with a 3-year history of progressive dysphagia, hoarseness, and globus sensation. Laryngoscopy revealed a pale yellow, raised, dome-shaped interarytenoid and glottic mass with telangiectasia of the overlying mucosa. Examination of biopsy specimen under light microscopy demonstrated benign, mature adipocytes consistent with lipoma.
Results: Lipoma of the larynx is particularly rare, with fewer than 100 cases reported in the literature. There appears to be a male predominance with progressive onset of dysphagia, hoarseness, globus sensation, and airway obstruction in the sixth or seventh decade of life. Treatment in symptomatic patients consists of conservative surgical excision. A variety of open and endoscopic approaches have been discussed in the literature. We performed conservative surgical excision under suspension microscopic direct laryngoscopy using the laryngeal microdebrider (Medtronic Xomed, Jacksonville, Fla).
Conclusion: Laryngeal lipoma is a rare upper aerodigestive tract tumor that responds well to conservative surgical excision. The application of powered instrumentation in otolaryngology continues to develop, and we demonstrate successful excision of a rare benign laryngeal tumor using the laryngeal microdebrider.