Objective: A laryngocele is a space that develops as a result of pathological dilatation of the laryngeal saccule. However, the reported management of laryngoceles varies. We conducted a systematic review of the literature regarding the surgical management of laryngoceles and pyolaryngoceles, to understand the evolving nature of treatment for this rare condition.
Methods: We searched for publications in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, JBI Library of Systematic Reviews, and Ovid databases using the terms "laryngocele", "pyolaryngocele", and "laryngopyocele", and reviewed the identified articles.
Results: After removal of repeated studies and filtering for relevance and studies written in English, a total of 227 studies were included in this review. No meta-analyses or randomized controlled trials have been published. The identified studies have been summarized in 14 reviews conducted since 1946. The meta-analysis determined that endoscopy was the preferred approach for internal laryngoceles, while combined laryngoceles benefited from both internal and external surgical approaches.
Conclusions: Laryngocele management has progressed since its initial description, from open surgery to an endoscopic approach, and more recently to a robotic-assisted surgical approach. The uptake of robotic surgery as a possible treatment modality over the last decade shows much promise for the treatment of these conditions.
Keywords: Laryngocele; microlaryngoscopy; pyolaryngocele; surgery; tracheostomy; transoral robotic surgery.