Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2000 Jul;43(7):769-771.

A Case of Congenital Absence of the Epiglottis in an Adult

• Kwon YJ
• Jeon JH
• Kim SS

Abstract

Congenital absence of the epiglottis is a rare anomaly of the larynx. We present a case in a young female adult who was identified incidentally as the first case of congenital absence of the epiglottiscase found in an adult. In her history, she had suffered from frequent upper respiratory infections and muffled voice. She had a herniated lumbar nucleus pulposus, and was scheduled to undergo a laminectomy. While inducing general anesthesia on the patient, the anesthesiologists had a great deal of difficulty in intubation of the endotracheal tube by routine procedure and consulted the department of ENT. The absence of the epiglottis was observed as a result of ENT consultation when examining the patient through a fiberoptic endoscope. fiberoptic laryngoscope and neck lateral plain X-ray. Using a fiberoptic laryngoscope and a neck lateral plain X-ray, v,e confirmed a congenital absence of the epiglottis, hypertrophy of aryepiglottic fold and arytenoid region, elongated larynx, a large false vocal cord.

Keyword

Epiglottis; Congenital absence; Adult

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Anesthesia, General
Endoscopes
Epiglottis*
Female
Humans
Hypertrophy
Intubation
Laminectomy
Laryngoscopes
Larynx
Neck
Respiratory Tract Infections
Vocal Cords
Voice