Congenital laryngeal cartilage malformation

Congenital laryngeal cartilage malformations primarily affect the epiglottic, thyroid, cricoid, and arytenoid cartilages. The laryngeal cartilage anlage develops from the bilateral branchial arches and gradually fuses at the midline. Therefore, various types of laryngeal cartilage malformations, such as bifid epiglottis and congenital laryngeal cleft, can occur due to incomplete fusion or abnormal development. It commonly affects neonates and infants, presenting mainly with inspiratory cartilage collapse, stridor, and dyspnea. It can be classified into epiglottic cartilage malformation, thyroid cartilage malformation, cricoid cartilage malformation, and arytenoid cartilage malformation.