A disorder in which the laryngeal saccule is inflated and becomes abnormally enlarged. A common symptom of a laryngocele is hoarseness.

How it develops:

The laryngeal saccule, or laryngeal appendix, is a very small blind sac—a dead-end corridor, so to speak—which is located just above the vocal cords, one on each side, and is lined with glands that supply lubrication to the cords. When a person makes voice, it is possible for a little bit of the air being pushed up out of the trachea to slip into this saccule. If over time enough air enters the saccule with enough force, the saccule may begin to be inflated and stretched out, leading to a laryngocele.

In some cases, the air that slips into and inflates the laryngocele will slip back out again as soon as the person stops making voice, so that the laryngocele abruptly inflates and deflates with each start and stop of speech or voice-making. (The photos and video below are an example of this.) In other cases, the air cannot exit as easily, but it may be reabsorbed slowly during quiet times or during sleep—only to be inflated again at the next instance of more active speaking.

Laryngocele vs. saccular cyst:

A much more common disorder of the laryngeal saccule (compared with a laryngocele) is a saccular cyst, which can occur if the entrance to the laryngeal saccule becomes blocked. In this scenario, air is absorbed, but secretions build up and gradually expand the saccule.

Symptoms and treatment for laryngocele:

A common symptom is hoarseness, because while the saccule is inflated, it may press press down on the vocal cords, not allowing them to vibrate freely, or it may block the laryngeal vestibule just above the cords and partially muffle the sound produced by the cords. Standard treatment is surgical removal, through one of two approaches: a small incision on the neck that leads into the larynx from the outside, or a laryngoscope that is inserted through the mouth and down into the larynx so that the laryngocele can be removed using a laser.

Photos:

Laryngocele

Laryngocele (1 of 5)

Before phonation begins: the laryngocele is not visible.

Saccule (2 of 5)

Phonation begins: the saccule suddenly begins to inflate.

Saccule blocks airway (3 of 5)

The saccule is at peak inflation. Note how this obstructs the laryngeal airway.

Phonation ending (4 of 5)

The saccule is deflating. Note the motion blur; inflation and deflation each happens in a fraction of a second.

Phonation ended (5 of 5)

The laryngocele is again fully deflated and hidden from view.

Bilateral Laryngocele, Before and After Removal

Bilateral laryngocele (1 of 8)

Vocal cords approaching point of best closure possible (due to left cord paresis). Faint dotted lines outline the approximate boundary of each laryngeal saccule, which not yet inflated.

Bilateral laryngocele (2 of 8)

As air just begins coming upward between the cords, one can see subtle inflation (dotted lines), particularly of the right saccule (left of image).

Bilateral laryngocele (3 of 8)

As phonation continues, inflation of the (now diagnosable) laryngocele becomes obvious, and the left laryngocele (right of image) is now more obviously inflated than before, again indicated by the dotted lines.

Bilateral laryngocele (4 of 8)

Near the end of a sustained period of voicing, maximum inflation of the laryngoceles is seen (dotted lines). On the right side (left of image), the stretching mucosa is so thinned as to appear translucent.

Bilateral laryngocele, after removal (5 of 8)

Same patient, breathing position, 12 weeks after complete removal of the bilateral laryngoceles via false cord incisions (lines of incision shown by dotted lines). This patient also has long-standing paralysis of the right vocal cord (left of image) and limited mobility of the left cord, so the cords don’t open fully for breathing.

Bilateral laryngocele, after removal (6 of 8)

Phonatory position. Note the lack of inflation of the now-absent laryngoceles, and compare that with photos 3 and 4 of this series.

Bilateral laryngocele, after removal (7 of 8)

Closer view of the posterior ends of the true vocal cords during maximal abduction for breathing. Space between the vocal cords is an estimated 50% of normal, because of the paralyzed right cord and the limited mobility of the left cord.

Bilateral laryngocele, after removal (8 of 8)

Same close-up view, but during phonation. The left vocal cord (right of image) has shifted slightly toward the midline, but the cords do not actually close and, thus, the patient cannot produce glottic (true vocal cord) voice. An implant could help to close this gap, but the patient will first try developing a “false cord voice.”

Laryngocele, Seen in a CT Image

Laryngocele, seen in a CT image (1 of 1)

The patient’s left-sided saccule is dilated and filled by air, forming a laryngocele (the largest black spot in the image). The right-sided saccule is not seen because it is of normal size. The two smaller black spots show air in the pyriform sinuses (a normal finding).

Mucus Retention Cyst is a cyst that forms when one of the mucus glands just below the vocal cord’s free margin becomes plugged. Mucus glands in this location secrete mucus in order to bathe and lubricate the vocal cords, but if a gland becomes obstructed, then the mucus it produces gets trapped and accumulates, leading to a mucus retention cyst. They typically occurs without any correlation to vocal overuse, in contrast to epidermoid cysts as well as nodules and polyps.

Signs:

It can cause hoarseness, because it interferes with the normal vibrations of the vocal cords and the accuracy of their match with each other (see the videos below). The cyst is most often unilateral—that is, occurring on one cord but not the other. It appears as a bulge or deformation of the vocal cord’s free margin, and sometimes undersurface, and it may be yellowish in color.

Treatment:

The cyst may be surgically removed, by creating a small incision on the vocal cord and then dissecting the cyst from the cord. Photos of the surgical process can be found below. Also, the two videos below show how removing this kind of cyst can improve the voice.

Photos:

Removal of Mucus Retention Cyst

Mucus retention cyst (1 of 3)

Mucus retention cyst of right vocal cord. Yellowish spherical mass shines through overlying mucosa. This was causing the patient severe hoarseness. Incision to enter the cord at dotted line.

Removal of Mucus retention cyst (2 of 3)

Near completion of dissection of cyst from its final attachments, using curved scissors.

Mucus retention cyst (3 of 3)

After cyst’s removal. The patient’s voice sounded virtually normal in the recovery room, though upper voice still abnormal.

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Injecting Xylocaine (1 of 5)

The physician injects xylocaine with epinephrine into the tissue before surgery, so as to inhibit bleeding and to cause some of the layers of tissue to expand and spread apart (hydrodissection).

Hydrodissection effect (2 of 5)

The hydrodissection effect of the injection is now visible

Removal of cyst (3 of 5)

The incision has been made. Now, curved scissors (pointing downward) release the cyst’s anterior attachment.

Removal of cyst (4 of 5)

The cyst is now almost fully released from the vocal cord.

Cyst is gone! (5 of 5)

Removal completed. The line of incision is visible.

Mucus Retention Cyst

Mucus retention cyst (1 of 1)

After laser excision of early vocal cord cancer, left vocal cord (right of image), a small mucus gland became plugged. This could instead be mistaken as a polyp, but a polyp does not fit this man's quiet nature and minimal vocal commitments. Note that the lesion is below the point of maximum vibratory contact that would produce a polyp. This man's voice is excellent.

Mucus-Retention Cyst—not Polyp—Before and After Removal

Mucus-retention cyst (1 of 5)

This person has chronic hoarseness, without prior illness or voice overuse. The explanation is this left-sided mucus-retention cyst (right of photo). The next photo shows more clearly how we know this is a cyst and not a polyp.

Below the margin (2 of 5)

This photo is under a strobe light during the open phase of vibration and dotted line shows the free margin of the cord. It shows that the swelling originates from below this free margin, common for mucus-retention cysts. The two solid lines show the incision line options for planned dissection and removal of this cyst. Here the medial one (on the cyst) was chosen, as seen in the next photo.

One week post-op (3 of 5)

A week after incision and dissection and removal of the cyst. You can see the incision line at the dotted line.

Better medializtion (4 of 5)

Closed phase of vibration at E5 shows perfect match of the margins.

Better flexibility (5 of 5)

Open phase of vibration at same pitch shows that both cords make lateral excursions, confirming lack of stiffness and scarring due to the incision and dissection being below most of the vibrating part of the mucosa.