Symptomatic laryngeal nodular chondrometaplasia: a clinicopathological study

A 41 year old man with a history of politrauma presented with a nodular mass of the left false vocal cord, associated with progressive dysphonia, dyspnoea, and dysphagia. A computed tomography scan of the neck region showed a rounded and circumscribed mass without infiltration of the surrounding tissues. Histological investigation of the nodule revealed the presence of fibroelastic cartilaginous tissue, surrounded by a thin rim of fibrous tissue, with rare hypercellular areas, occasional binucleated cells, slight hyperchromasia, and an irregular nuclear profile. Mitotic activity was absent. The patient's history of laryngeal trauma, with the subsequent progressive onset of clinical symptoms, helps to distinguish the chondrometaplastic nature of this nodule from true laryngeal cartilaginous tumours, such as chondroma and low grade chondrosarcoma.