A sudden death case of laryngocele accompanied by infarction of the dorso-lateral portion of the medulla oblongata.

A 70-year-old man, who had a laryngeal tumor discovered by otolaryngological examination during admission for suspicion of facial nerve paralysis was found dead in his bed on the seventh hospital day. Clinical doctors aspirated a large amount of mucous sputum from his larynx during their attempt at resuscitation. Although the direct cause of death was clinically unknown, an autopsy revealed an internal type laryngocele, a type of laryngeal cyst, in the right larynx and infarction of the left dorso-lateral portion of the medulla oblongata. Suffocation resulted from mucous sputum filling his larynx, which had been narrowed by a laryngocele from the right, in an unfortunate association with movement disturbance of the left larynx caused by the infarction of the left dorso-lateral portion of the medulla oblongata. We assumed this to be the direct cause of death, because the heart and lungs showed no remarkable changes that could be ascribed to it. This case offers important suggestions concerning the risks of suffocation due to laryngeal cysts, especially in patients with complications.