Glass‐blowing, brass‐playing, and other laryngocele etiologies: Fact or fiction? A systematic literature review

Objective: Laryngocele is a rare condition, which can be congenital or acquired, characterized by an abnormal dilatation of the laryngeal ventricle filled with air. A correlation between laryngocele formation and increased intralaryngeal pressure has been postulated, as much as a frequent coexistence with laryngeal carcinoma. Despite this, systematic research on its potential etiology is still limited up to date. Methods: We carried out a systematic an electronic search on the MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases for all articles related to laryngocele or laryngopyocele. The authors performed a PRISMA-compliant systematic review across multiple databases including all studies published until February 7, 2023, focusing on laryngocele etiology. Case reports and articles in languages other than English were excluded. The authors recorded etiology, age of patients, male-to-female ratio, history of smoking, symptoms, management, and overall follow-up. Results: The majority of publications related to laryngocele are case reports and case series. We found a total of 10 articles correctly reporting etiologies, the majority of which included only a limited number of patients. Most case series explored the association of laryngocele and laryngeal cancer. Other reported etiologies were wind instruments' playing, cricohyoidoepiglottopexy's execution, amyloidosis, and chronic constipation. Some cases of congenital laryngocele were also reported. Conclusions: Actual knowledge concerning laryngocele etiology appears—based on literature studies—inferential at best. The association between laryngocele and laryngeal cancer is, on the other hand, well-established and must be taken into account when evaluating patients with this condition. Wider and prospective data collections should allow further insight into this condition and its pathogenesis.