Infected Epiglottic Cyst Presenting With Stridor in an Adult: A Case Report

Epiglottic cyst is a benign tumour that can occur at all ages. Considering that the diameter of the respiratory tract is smaller in infants and children, an epiglottic cyst may easily obstruct the airway and large cysts may present as stridor, cyanosis with feeding and respiratory difficulty. On the other hand most adult epiglottic cysts remain benign and asymptomatic. Rarely they may progress to epiglottitis or epiglottic abscess, leading to airway obstruction and respiratory arrest. We report the case of a 20 year old male patient who presented to us with abrupt onset of dyspnoea and stridor. Our foremost priority was to secure the airway and emergency tracheostomy was done. Laryngoscopic examination revealed a large cyst occupying lingual surface of epiglottis including the free margin. Contrast enhanced CT scan of neck demonstrated prominent epiglottis with hypodense lesions suggestive of abscess within it. The patient underwent microlaryngoscopy with marsupialization of the cyst wall. Patient was subsequently decannulated and on follow up showed no recurrences of cyst.