[Atresia of the larynx, a rare cause of postnatal respiratory distress (author's transl)].

An infraglottic atresia of the larynx with normally developed vocal cords necessitated postnatally an emergency tracheotomy after intubation attempts had failed. Laryngeal atresia is a very rare malformation. As in our example, it is in most cases accompanied by a tracheo-hypopharyngeal fistula which has to be interpreted ontogenetically. The survival chances of the newborn with this malformation are generally very poor.