Extensive laryngeal amyloidosis presenting with stridor: Review of literature and case presentation

BackgroundLaryngeal amyloidosis is a rare disease with poorly understood etiology. It accounts for 0.2–1.2% of benign laryngeal tumors and usually appears as an isolated localized laryngeal amyloidosis, but can also be part of systemic amyloidosis.MethodCase report of extensive localized laryngeal amyloidosis with discussion and literature review.Results35-year-old woman presented to our ENT clinic with history of progressive hoarseness over 2-years duration associated with shortness of breath during the last month before presentation. Clinic based endoscopy showed bilateral mobile vocal cords with subglottic mass. Computed tomography scan showed a subglottic non-invasive polypoidal mass with no cartilage invasion or lymphadenopathy. Microlaryngoscopy and biopsy of the mass were performed and histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of amyloidosis with Congo red stain. There was no clinical nor laboratory evidence for systemic involvement. Patient was managed by surgical excision of the mass and long term follow-up.ConclusionLocalized laryngeal amyloidosis, although rare, must be considered among the differentials of benign laryngeal tumors. Complete clinical examination and laboratory investigations to exclude systemic involvement are of paramount value since treatment and prognosis differs markedly.