Diagnosis and therapy of laryngeal sarcoidosis

The larynx may be involved in patients with systemic sarcoidosis or may be the first or only manifestation of the disease. The symptoms depend on the degree of involvement of the larynx, and include a sensation of lump in the throat, dysphagia, hoarseness, cough, stridor and dyspnea. The supraglottis is the most frequently affected area. There are pale pink, edematous, diffuse hypertrophy of the supraglottic structures or granular areas of the glottic and subglottic region. The diagnosis is made by the characteristic appearance of the larynx, histologic and laboratory findings and exclusion of other granulomatous diseases. Laryngeal sarcoidosis may cause life-threatening upper airway obstruction. Systemic corticosteroid therapy is the treatment of choice in most cases, but surgical excision or local steroid injections are useful in selected cases.