ABSTRACT

Pathologies in the larynx in children are caused by four main groups: acute infection, airway stenosis, tumours and foreign body. The term dysphonia includes any impairment of the voice or alteration in the sound of the voice. Hoarseness subsequent to an acute upper airway obstruction in association with a viral upper respiratory tract infection is by far the most common presentation in children. Laryngeal injury may occur subsequent to birth trauma, resulting in unilateral vocal cord paralysis producing hoarseness and stridor. Lumps in the neck are common and are usually benign in children. The most common neck lump is reactive lymphadenopathy, usually caused by a viral infection. The usual branchial cyst looks like an insignificant papule on the side of the neck, off centre. A young patient who complains of having a lump in the throat or neck that is unrelated to swallowing is almost certainly experiencing globus hystericus.