Congenital laryngeal cleft: report of a case. A comparison with other types of tracheo-esophageal communication.

ONLY A FEW cases of congenital laryngeal cleft have been reported in the medical literature. The diagnosis has most frequently been made at necropsy, although one case has been successfully repaired with survival of the child. In most cases, the signs and symptoms of laryngeal cleft have simulated tracheo-esophageal fistula. The present case is reported to bring this lesion to the attention of those physicians caring for infants in the hope that future cases may be recognized and early surgical treatment instituted. Report of a Case A Caucasian female infant was delivered at Sutter Memorial Hospital, Sacramento, California, on Oct 4, 1963, after an uncomplicated pregnancy of 43 weeks. Birth weight was 6 lb, 9 oz (2,977 gm). Laryngeal stridor was manifested almost immediately after birth. She became cyanotic without oxygen administration and took feedings with difficulty. She was transferred to Mather Air Force Base Hospital at 1 week of