Fetal rhabdomyoma of the larynx

A patient had fetal cellular rhabdomyoma of the larynx confirmed histologically and by electron microscopy. The literature on laryngeal rhabdomyomas is reviewed. Adult and fetal rhabdomyomas demonstrate no clinical differences in the larynx, unlike rhabdomyomas described elsewhere in the body. Most patients are middle-aged men with less than three years' history of hoarseness. The diagnosis is established pathologically by using routine histologic criteria, special stains, and electron microscopy. Treatment consists of local surgical excision. The tumors rarely recur.