Type 1 laryngeal clefts - Which patients can be managed medically? A retrospective cohort study

While approximately 50 % of patients with Type 1 laryngeal cleft (LC) will tolerate thin liquids with medical management, predictive factors for success remain unclear. This study aims to identify patient characteristics that predict successful non-operative management. We hypothesize that pulmonary comorbidities and severe aspiration will decrease success with medical management.

This retrospective cohort study examined patients with aspiration on VFSS and Type 1 laryngeal cleft between January 2012 and March 2024 at a quaternary pediatric hospital. The primary outcome was defined as operative management (cleft repair) or successful medical management measured by final diet recommendation. Medical management included feeding therapy, diet modifications, changes to delivery method. Data collection included age, comorbidities (cardiac, pulmonary, GI), silent aspiration, developmental delay, presence of syndrome, social barriers, and initial diet recommendation. Cox proportional hazard models analyzed factors associated with failed medical management.

Among 170 patients (median [IQR] age: 12.84 (7.56, 26.91) months), 78 were successfully managed medically, while 84 required surgery. Adjusted models demonstrated that patients with pulmonary comorbidities had more than three times the risk of requiring operative management [HR = 3.40 (95 % CI: 1.23, 9.43)] compared to those without. Initial diet recommendation of mildly thick or thinner significantly lowered risk for operative management [HR = 0.53 (95 % CI: 0.33, 0.84)].

Patients with Type 1 LCs are a heterogenous group. Partnership with speech-language pathologists to establish feeding safety is critical. Patients without pulmonary comorbidities and those tolerating mildly thick or thinner liquids may be good candidates for medical management even in the presence of other comorbidities such as developmental delay, syndromes, and even silent aspiration.