A case report of ectopic salivary gland tissue in the larynx

Submucosal laryngeal masses are challenging for ENT specialists as the diagnosis usually remains uncertain until histopathological examination is carried out. We report a case of a 54-year old man complaining of dysphonia and globus sensation. Flexible laryngoscopic examination showed a submucosal swelling in the right anterior laryngeal ventricle. Microlaryngoscopic excision of the submucosal mass was performed. Histological examination revealed salivary gland tissue. We found only a few cases in the literature of ectopic salivary gland tissue situated in the larynx. In these cases, the salivary gland tissue was also located at the anterior portion of the true or false vocal fold. Thus, it is necessary to consider this condition in the differential diagnosis of a submucosal mass in the anterior true or false vocal fold or laryngeal ventricle.