[Analysis of clinical manifestations and misdiagnosis of congenital vallecular cyst].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical manifestations and the cause of misdiagnosis of congenital vallecular cyst.

METHOD: Nineteen cases of congenital vallecular cysts were collected and reviewed retrospectively. Their clinical manifestations and diagnosis were analyzed.

RESULT: Their clinical manifestations included inspiratory stridor, respiratory distress, inspiratory dyspnea, feeding difficulty etc. Among 19 cases, 15 cases were misdiagnosed as neonate pneumonia (9 cases), bronchial pneumonia (5 cases), and laryngitis (1 case), respectively. All cases were diagnosed as congenital vallecular cysts by fibrolaryngoscope. The diagnosis was confirmed by pathological examination.

CONCLUSION: Congenital vallecular cyst is fairly uncommon. To cure these patients on time, early examination of upper airway is recommended for patients with inspiratory stridor and inspiratory dyspnea. Fibrolaryngoscope would be useful for diagnosis and timely treatment.