Laryngeal amyloidosis: A case report

Abstract

Amyloidosis is a rare disease of unknown etiology, characterized by the presence of extracellular acumulations of fibrillar proteins in a variety of organs and tissues, with a wide range of clinical manifestations depending on the location and size of the deposits. In head and neck, the most common site of presentation is the larynx. It usually presents with dysphonia and / or progressive dyspnea, whose definitive treatment, without being standardized, is usually surgical resection. A case of a 78-year-old patient with a history of dyspnea at rest and mild laryngeal stridor of 6 months of evolution is presented, whose nasofibroscopy showed a subglot- tic mass at the cricoid level, determining a critical upper airway lumen. Biopsy revealed extensive amyloidosis of the upper respiratory tract mucosa, being successfully treated with tumoral excision under direct laryngoscopy.