CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF BENIGN LESIONS OF LARYNX

BACKGROUND Benign laryngeal lesions are a spectrum of laryngeal diseases where symptoms vary from discomfort in throat, pain in throat, change of voice to stridor. Prompt diagnosis, intervention and speech therapy will reverse the conditions in certain laryngeal lesions. Aims and Objectives- A clinical study was undertaken to analyse the age, sex distribution and symptomatology, sites of involvement and the prognosis of the common types of benign lesions of larynx. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 40 patients with benign laryngeal lesions were included based on symptomatology such as hoarseness of voice, foreign body sensation, throat pain, neck mass and cough with positive clinical findings on indirect laryngoscopy and neck examination. The patients ranged from 5 - 65 years. All non-operative cases and malignant cases were excluded. Diagnostic haematological and radiological investigations and therapeutic microlaryngoscopic procedures were employed. Study Design- A two years descriptive type of study from November 2013 to November 2015. Setting- A tertiary referral hospital. RESULTS A male preponderance with M: F ratio of 3: 2 was observed. Majority of the patients were in the 31 - 40 years' age group. Vocal polyps were the commonest type of lesion. In our study, hoarseness of voice, cough, foreign body sensation and throat pain proved to be the commonest symptoms. CONCLUSION Microlaryngeal surgery and voice rest offer a cost effective, useful and safe method.