Injection Augmentation of Type 1 Laryngeal Clefts

Abstract

Objective. To describe a series of children diagnosed with type I congenital laryngeal clefts (LC-I) and treated, due to various presentations, with endoscopic injection augmentation (IA). Study Design. Case series with chart review. Setting. Tertiary care academic children’s hospital in Edmonton, Canada. Subjects. All pediatric patients diagnosed with LC-I and treated with IA in a single tertiary care practice. Methods. The children were identified from a prospectively collected database. Only those who were treated with IA and had a minimum follow-up of 3 months were included. The authors collected demographics, diagnoses, surgical procedures, number of IA procedures, clinical outcomes, and complications. Results. Over a period of 8 years, 43 patients were diagnosed with LC-I. Eighteen had undergone IA over the past 4 years. Mean age at IA was 37.11 ± 32.68 months with a male-to-female ratio of 1.25:1. The indications were swallowing dysfunction (13), atypical croup (2), chronic cough (1), cyanotic spells (1), and asthma (1). Seven patients required repeated injections (mean, 2.57 injections). A total of 13 patients responded with resolution of symptoms in question. A single postoperative complication was recorded. Conclusion. IA is a brief, simple management option that succeeds in a number of children with LC-I. It is minimally morbid and supplements other conservative approaches to treat the condition.