Benign pleomorphic adenoma of the larynx. A case report.

Minor salivary gland tumors of the larynx are relatively rare. Morphologically the majority of them are adenoid cystic carcinomas and the overwhelming location is the subglottic larynx. Benign pleomorphic adenomas are rare minor salivary gland tumors of the larynx which usually occur at the glottic and subglottic levels. We present only the sixth case of a supraglottic benign pleomorphic adenoma that we could find in the literature. A preoperative laryngogram localized the tumor to the supraglottic larynx and the intact mucosa suggested a specific differential diagnosis. The tumor was removed by a lateral pharyngotomy with retention of good laryngeal function. The relatively asymptomatic presentation of our case is a somewhat unusual finding which, however, was previously noted in similar case reports.