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Relapsing polychondritis is a rare multisystem disorder of unknown etiology characterized by recurrent inflammation and degeneration of cartilage and connective tissue. Laryngotracheobronchial complications are the most severe manifestations of the disease and present the most challenging management decisions. We present four cases of relapsing polychondritis with laryngotracheobronchial manifestations that illustrate the clinical features and review the treatment options.

A patient suffering from persistent hoarseness was eventually shown to have laryngeal leishmaniasis. The incubation period for the disease must have been at least 16 years, following infection in Southern Europe. Mucosal leishmaniasis is rare in the Eastern hemisphere, and laryngeal leishmaniasis has not previously been reported in the UK. Previous Mediterranean cases have run a similar chronic course and have caused diagnostic difficulty, in particular being mistaken for malignancy. Treatment with aminosidine was ineffective, but the patient responded to liposomal amphotericin.

A simple, safe and effective procedure of improving the diagnostic accuracy of nasopharyngoscopy is described. It is most useful for the exposure of the hypopharynx, especially in the elderly patient.

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