Posterior cleft larynx associated with a local hamartoma is a rare malformation complex. Clinical diagnosis may be elusive. We report such a combination in a newborn infant dying soon after birth with upper airways obstruction.

This is a case of a 58-year-old woman who presented with progressive stridor due to immobile vocal cords. This was found to be due to cervical cord compression by an upwardly subluxed odontoid peg. Despite surgical intervention the outcome was fatal.

The thyroid cartilage and thyroid gland forming a lump at the suprasternal notch is a surprising congenital anomaly which I believe has not been previously reported.

A case with co-existent low hyoid bone, pharyngo-oesophageal junction and intrathoracic cricoid cartilage with no cervical trachea is presented. Its pathogenesis is suggested and its surgical importance is discussed.