A case report of Sjögren's syndrome with repeated false cord swelling

We present a 42-year-old female patient who had repeated swelling of the bilateral false cords. The patient complained of dryness of the eyes and oral mucosa, and was diagnosed as having Sjögren's syndrome. She underwent partial resections of the bilateral false cords 4 times in 3 years to evaluate the nature of the disease and to relieve airway obstruction. Histologic examinations revealed severe atrophic changes of the laryngeal glands and cystic dilation of the ducts of the glands, associated with marked lymphocytic infiltration and lymphoid hyperplasia. These findings suggest that the etiology of the swelling of the false cords was related to Sjögren's syndrome.