Abnormal Position of the Larynx: Report of a Case

Abstract

An unusual case of abnormal position of the larynx was presented. The patient was a 62-year-old man, who had a low-pitched voice since childhood and noticed a hoarseness for 3 months before the admission. Indirect laryngoscopy revealed a mass in the right false and true cord. Histological examination of the specimen obtained by peroral biopsy revealed a squamous cell carcinoma. The hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage were positioned extremely downward compared with those of the normal subject. The right lamina of the thyroid cartilage was noted nearly in the horizontal plane on inspection and palpation. On surgical exploration of the anterior portion of the neck prior to the total laryngectomy a hard tendon-like bundle was found to be stretched between the right lamina of the thyroid cartilage and the posterior surface of the sternum. The right lamina of the thyroid cartilage was pulled downward and medially by the tendon-like bundle, which was identified with a remnant of the sterno-thyroid muscle from the standpoint of its anatomical location. The sectioning of this bundle immediately corrected the thyroid cartilage to the normal position. Histological examination of this bundle revealed a tendon tissue.