[Therapeutic lines for external injuries of the larynx in adults].

Injuries of the larynx are rare, and generally approved and consistent clinical guidelines are lacking. Depending on the mechanism, such an injury is either blunt or penetrating. This kind of injury may cause airway obstruction even with a delay of several hours. It is of principal importance to know when to suspect structural damage of the larynx, and to secure the airway. Laryngoscopy with a mirror or a flexible laryngoscope forms the basis for clinical examination, often complemented with computed tomography of the neck. Minor injuries of the larynx are treated conservatively and dislocated fractures surgically.