Crohn's supraglottitis – The presenting feature of otherwise asymptomatic systemic disease

Laryngeal Manifestations of Crohn's Disease in a Toddler with Very Early Onset-IBD

OBJECTIVES

We report obstructing laryngeal manifestations of Crohn's disease in a toddler with very early onset-IBD (VEO-IBD) who required tracheotomy tube placement at 27 months of age for relief of recalcitrant airway obstruction unresponsive to maximal medical therapy. We review the literature for the frequency of extra-intestinal laryngeal manifestations of Crohn's disease in adults and children.

METHODS

Case report and literature review of laryngeal manifestations of Crohn's disease.

RESULTS

Laryngeal involvement of Crohn's disease is very rare with only 14 other cases reported. Most cases appear in adults, with the supraglottis most commonly affected. This case marks the youngest report and only the second report of a patient requiring a tracheotomy for supraglottic obstruction when intensive medical management, including use of steroids and biologics, failed to relieve obstructing laryngeal inflammation. Despite ongoing Crohn's disease, laryngeal manifestations improved permitting decannulation the following year.

CONCLUSIONS

Laryngeal manifestations of Crohn's disease are rare and usually affect adults. Most cases are managed with medical therapy, however surgical excision of obstructing lesions or tracheotomy placement is sometimes required for temporary relief of airway obstruction.

Granulomatous Inflammation Causing Severe Supraglottic Edema and Airway Obstruction in a Pediatric Patient

A 12-year-old male with a family history of inflammatory bowel disease presented with sleep-disordered breathing and was found to have chronic, granulomatous swelling of the supraglottic larynx. His airway was managed with tracheostomy, regular interval laryngeal steroid injections, supraglottoplasty, and "pepper pot" CO2 laser resurfacing leading to eventual decannulation. Due to the non-necrotic nature of the granulomatous inflammation, as well as the patient's family history of inflammatory bowel disease, the leading diagnosis was Crohn disease, but isolated laryngeal sarcoidosis could not be ruled out. There are only 13 reported cases of laryngeal manifestations of Crohn disease in the literature, with only 2 cases occurring in pediatric patients. This case report adds to this body of literature and discusses strategies for managing granulomatous supraglottic edema when definitive diagnosis is not fully clear.

Nonasthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis in an ulcerative colitis patient – a putative adverse reaction to mesalazine: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Lung and airway involvement in inflammatory bowel disease are increasingly frequently reported either as an extraintestinal manifestation or as an adverse effect of therapy.

CASE SUMMARY

We report a case of a patient with ulcerative colitis controlled under mesalazine treatment who presented with chronic cough and hemoptysis. Chest computed tomography and bronchoscopy findings supported tracheal involvement in ulcerative colitis; pathology examination demonstrated an unusual eosinophil-rich inflammatory pattern, and together with clinical data, a nonasthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis diagnosis was formulated. Full recovery was observed within days of mesalazine discontinuation.

CONCLUSION

Mesalazine-induced eosinophilic respiratory disorders have been previously reported, generally involving the lung parenchyma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of mesalamine-induced eosinophilic involvement in the upper airway.

Managing head and neck malignancy arising in a field of Crohn disease inflammation: Report of a case

Some of the clinical characteristics of Crohn disease of the head and neck overlap those of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. We describe the diagnostic and therapeutic complexities we encountered in an unusual case of piriform sinus cancer that had arisen in a field of pharyngeal Crohn disease. Based on our initial failure to recognize the predominant inflammatory component of the lesion, we discuss the special considerations that must be made for the detection, staging, and management of head and neck cancer in Crohn disease patients. We further describe the multiple potential interactions among smoking, inflammation, and immunosuppression therapy in the colocalized pathogenesis of the two disease states.

Laryngeal Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND

Laryngeal involvement in inflammatory bowel disease is rare. Only 12 cases of laryngeal involvement in Crohn disease have been reported until now. Moreover, only one case of laryngeal manifestations in ulcerative colitis has been reported so far.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this article, we present a patient with ulcerative colitis, who consulted our ear, nose, and throat (ENT) clinic with laryngeal complaints. Furthermore, a review of current literature was performed.

RESULTS

A concise overview of this rare extraintestinal manifestation and other ENT manifestations of inflammatory bowel diseases is provided.

CONCLUSIONS

Laryngeal manifestations in inflammatory bowel disease are very rare, but these manifestations should be known by the otorhinolaryngologist.