Isolated laryngeal sarcoidosis

Abstract

To improve diagnosis and treatment of laryngeal sarcoidosis, we present a rare case of upper airway obstruction of unclear aetiology, with life-threatening complication.The patient was a 19-year boy who presented with progressive severe dyspnoea for eight months. After extensive diagnostic evaluations with no conclusive diagnosis, biopsy showed non-caseating granulomatous inflammation consistent with laryngeal sarcoidosis that was treated with a CO2 laser attached to a microscope. The laser was also used to resect epiglottitis, false focal cords, and aryepiglottic fold completely due to supraglottic swelling with a thick oedematous epiglottis. A 1.5-ms pulse-duration CO2 laser attached to a microscope is an effective technique of treating laryngeal sarcoidosis and preventing its hazardous complication. Beneficial effects of this method are not only an immediate improvement of the symptoms, but also this method decreases the need for long-term medical therapy with its side effects or avoid tracheostomy due to upper airway obstruction.