Haemangioma of the adult larynx is an uncommon, benign lesion. The optimal surgical method of treating these lesions is controversial because only very limited case series are available. This paper reports the results of transoral robotic resection of a supraglottic haemangioma in an adult and reviews the literature.

A 58-year-old woman presented having experienced a lump-in-the-throat sensation for 1 year. Investigations on laryngoscopy revealed a lobulated, dark red mass in the region of the supraglottis. This was successfully excised by transoral robotic excision without complications.

Adult supraglottic haemangiomas can be treated successfully with transoral robotic excision; this potentially allows more of the surrounding mucosal tissue to be spared and enables easy control of bleeding.

We discuss the use of balloon dilatation to relieve supraglottic stenosis caused by mucous membrane plasmacytosis.

A 54-year-old man with a known diagnosis of mucous membrane plasmacytosis presented with dysphonia and worsening airway obstruction which required a tracheostomy. He underwent balloon dilatation of the supraglottic larynx using an angioplasty balloon within sequentially sized endotracheal tubes. This enabled successful decannulation, with minimal re-stenosis at eight-month follow up.

To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of supraglottic stenosis caused by plasmacytosis to be successfully treated using this method. We have shown that this minimally invasive technique deals effectively with a complex airway and minimises re-stenosis.

The management of advanced laryngeal cancer has evolved in the last century, from total laryngectomy to chemoradiation. The aim of this study was to examine our experience with supracricoid partial laryngectomy as a possible solution for patients with advanced laryngeal tumours, with a focus on the oncological safety of the procedure and the functionality of the preserved larynges.

We reviewed the medical records of patients with laryngeal cancer who had undergone primary or salvage supracricoid partial laryngectomy at our department between 1998 and 2004.

Twenty-three patients treated with supracricoid partial laryngectomy for endolaryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were identified. Median follow-up time was 35 months. Twelve patients had advanced laryngeal tumours. Eight patients were radiation failures. These factors were not associated with increased local recurrence or with decreased survival.

Supracricoid partial laryngectomy appears to be a feasible option for the treatment of laryngeal tumours, even in the advanced stage or after failure of radiation therapy.