Laryngeal granuloma secondary to gastro--esophageal reflux

Approximately 60 per cent of patients with gastro-esophageal reflux have symptoms related to aspiration of acid and/or bile into the airway. Though many instances of lower airway involvement have been well documented, no mass lesion secondary to gastro-esophageal reflux involving the larynx has ever been demonstrated clinically. The purpose of this presentation is to define a recurrent granuloma of the posterior two-thirds of the left vocal cord, which appeared the result of gastro-esophageal reflux, including both bile and acid content. The relationship between the laryngeal granuloma and the gastro-esophageal reflux was both clinical and pathological; in particular, the histology of the lesion with its intact mucous membrane appeared virtually identical to that found in active reflux esophagitis.