External laryngopyocele: a rare cause of upper airway obstruction

Laryngocele is generally defined as abnormal dilatations of the laryngeal saccule. Its etiology is not well known but probably caused by congenital and acquired causes. It is uncommon and usually asymptomatic. It may be seen at any age but is most commonly presented at fifth and sixth decades. They are defined as internal, external, and mixed (combined) types according to their relationship with the thyrohyoid membrane. External laryngocele extends upward and protrudes through the thyrohyoid membrane to the neck. Infection of the laryngocele can cause acute symptoms or worsens existing symptoms. An infected laryngocele is known as laryngopyocele. It is an extremely rare disease and needs urgent diagnosis and treatment. We report a rare case of an external laryngopyocele that presented as upper airway obstruction. We also discussed the effect of needle aspiration in the emergency treatment of external laryngopyocele.