Laryngeal cleft

What it means

Presence of a gap in the posterior laryngotracheal wall with a continuity between the larynx and the esophagus.

Embryologically, the trachea and esophagus share a common lumen until they are separated by the development of the tracheoesophageal septum. Failure of this fusion and incomplete development of the tracheoesophageal septum may lead to congenital abnormalities such as isolatedlaryngeal cleft, tracheoesophageal fistula, and esophageal atresia, depending on the severity of the abnormality. Patients with laryngeal cleft may present with feeding difficulty, chronic cough, stridor, pneumonia or respiratory distress, depending on the size of the cleft.

Rare diseases that can present with this4

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Laryngotracheal cleft · Laryngotracheoesophageal cleft i