Pathologic Condition |
Principal Pathologic Clinical Features
Pertaining to Airway |
CONGENITAL |
Pierre Robin syndrome |
Micrognathia, macroglossia, glossoptosis, cleft soft palate |
Treacher Collins syndrome (mandibulofacial dysostosis) |
Auricular and ocular defects; malar and mandibular hypoplasia, microstomia, choanal atresia |
Goldenhar's syndrome (oculoauriculovertebral syndrome) |
Auricular and ocular defects; malar and mandibular hypoplasia; occipitalization of atlas |
Down's syndrome (mongolism) |
Poorly developed or absent bridge of the nose; macroglossia, microcephaly, cervical spine abnormalities |
Klippel-Feil syndrome |
Congenital fusion of a variable number of cervical vertebrae; restriction of neck movement |
Alpert's syndrome (acrocephalosyndactyly) |
Maxillary hypoplasia, prognathism, cleft soft palate, tracheobronchial cartilaginous anomalies |
Beckwith's syndrome (infantile gigantism) |
Macroglossia |
Cherubism |
Tumorous lesion of mandibles and maxillae with intraoral masses |
Cretinism (congenital hypothyroidism) |
Absent thyroid tissue or defective synthesis of thyroxine; macroglossia, goiter, compression of trachea, deviation of larynx/trachea |
Cri du chat syndrome |
Chromosome 5-P abnormal; microcephaly, micrognathia, laryngomalacia, stridor |
Meckel's syndrome |
Microcephaly, micrognathia, cleft epiglottis |
von Recklinghausen disease (neurofibromatosis) |
Increased incidence of pheochromocytoma; tumors may occur in the larynx and right ventricle outflow tract |
Hurler's syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis I) |
Stiff joints, upper airway obstruction because of infiltration of lymphoid tissue; abnormal tracheobronchial cartilages |
Hunter's syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis II) |
Same as in Hurler's syndrome, but less severe; pneumonias |
Pompe's disease (glycogen storage II) |
Muscle deposits, macroglossia |
|
ACQUIRED |
Infections |
Supraglottitis |
Laryngeal edema |
Croup |
Laryngeal edema |
Abscess (intraoral, retropharyngeal) |
Distortion and stenosis of the airway and trismus |
Papillomatosis |
Chronic viral infection forming obstructive papillomas, primarily supraglottic |
Ludwig's angina |
Distortion and stenosis of the airway and trismus |
Arthritis |
Rheumatoid arthritis |
Temporomandibular joint ankylosis, cricoarytenoid arthritis, deviation of larynx, restricted mobility of cervical spine |
Ankylosing spondylitis |
Ankylosis of cervical spine; less commonly ankylosis of temporomandibular joints; lack of mobility of cervical spine |
Benign Tumors |
Cystic hygroma, lipoma, adenoma, goiter |
Stenosis or distortion of the airway |
Malignant Tumors |
Carcinoma of tongue, carcinoma of larynx, carcinoma of thyroid |
Stenosis or distortion of the airway; fixation of larynx or adjacent tissues (e.g., infiltration or fibrosis from irradiation) |
Trauma |
Head injury, facial injury, cervical spine injury |
Cerebrospinal rhinorrhea, edema of the airway; hemorrhage; unstable fracture(s) of the maxillae and mandible; intralaryngeal damage |
Miscellaneous Conditions |
Morbid obesity |
Short, thick neck and large tongue are likely to be present |
Acromegaly |
Macroglossia; prognathism |
Acute burns |
Edema of airway |
|
Physiologic conditions |
pregnancy |