title: Adult vallecular cyst: thirteen-year experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the characteristics of adult vallecular cyst.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review from a university affiliated hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical manifestations and airway management of 38 consecutive adult patients with vallecular cyst admitted between 1992 and 2004 were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two distinct groups were identified: infected (n = 24) and noninfected (n = 14). Twenty-two (91.7%) patients of the former group had acute epiglottitis with an abrupt onset culminating in abscess formation in 19 (79.2%) and airway compromise in 9 (37.5%) compared with none in the noninfected group (P = 0.006). In 4 (18.2%) of 22 patients, the origin of the infected vallecular cyst was evident only after symptoms subsided. Three patients had recurrent acute epiglottitis. The noninfected group had a relatively prolonged mild clinical course.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two types of vallecular cysts were characterized. Abscess formation was the hallmark of adult infected vallecular cyst.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To improve patient care, endoscopic follow-up is advocated. In patients with recurrent episodes of acute epiglottitis, imaging is recommended.
authors.affiliation: ENT Histopathologic Research Laboratory, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel. berger45@netvision.net.il
authors.forename: Gilead
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Eran
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Averbuch
authors.forename: Keren
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zilka
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Dov
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ophir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D003560:Cysts / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D004826:Epiglottitis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007818:Laryngeal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed