Symptomatic external laryngocele in a newborn: findings on plain radiographs and CT scans.

A 2-day-old boy had a soft-tissue mass in the left side of the neck. Three days after its discovery, stridor and respiratory distress developed, and it was noted that the size of the mass had increased . Softtissue views of the neck showed a cystlike structure that contained an air-fluid level and extended anteriorly and laterally to the trachea (Fig . 1). A barium esophagram showed that the mass did not communicate with the esophagus. A contrast-enhanced CT scan showed a single cystic cavity with an air-fluid level in the left side of the neck displacing the trachea to the right. The mass extended superiorly to the level of the uvula and inferiorly to the left sternoclavicular joint. On CT, no definite communication between the cystic mass and the larynx or pharynx was seen. At surgery, a smooth-walled mass with a minute stalk between the mass and the larynx was excised. Histopathologic examination showed a cystic structure lined by respiratory and disrupted squamous epithelium, with evidence of chronic and acute inflammation. These findings confirmed the diagnosis of external laryngocele.