Evaluation, Medical and Surgical Management of Laryngeal Cleft (AMW)
2021 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience
Laryngeal clefts are rare congenital anomalies of the airway that arise from the failed fusion of the tracheoesophageal septum during embryological development. Though this defect is considered rare, our multidisciplinary airway clinic, involving an otolaryngologist, speech-language pathologist, and other collaborating specialists, treats approximately 200 patients with laryngeal cleft each year. With this volume, we have developed an expertise in assessment and management of laryngeal cleft and associated dysphagia. Patients are often referred for a comprehensive evaluation if found to aspirate on a videofluoroscopic evaluation of swallow function, if exhibiting recurrent respiratory exacerbations or noisy breathing, or if they are known to be at increased risk in the setting of other midline defects such as esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula, VACTERL, or CHARGE syndrome. Depending on the severity of the laryngeal defect and the patient’s clinical presentation, laryngeal clefts may require surgical intervention. However, about half of these patients can be managed medically with feeding therapy. It is important to recognize the indications for surgical repair and the medical/feeding options while treating patients with laryngeal cleft. This presentation provides an overview of comprehensive multidisciplinary management of laryngeal clefts in the pediatric population. Presenters will discuss identification of laryngeal cleft (including videofluoroscopic patterns and direct laryngoscopy/bronchoscopy), medical/feeding management versus need for surgical intervention, post-operative considerations, systematic weaning from thickened fluids, and timeframe for instrumental reassessment. Presenters will also highlight current trends using case studies.
Credits
CME:1.0, MOC:1.0