Multiple epiglottic cysts.

A 66-year-old man had five cystic lesions of the epiglottis, which were discovered at autopsy. He had complained of hoarseness and dysphagia, but no laryngeal examination was performed because of his terminal condition due to widespread adenocarcinoma that did not involve the larynx. To our knowledge, this is the fourth reported case of multiple laryngeal ductal cysts. To develop a concept of the pathogenesis of these cysts, the normal salivary gland-duct epithelial histologic characteristics were studied in 17 epiglottises that were obtained from children and adults at autopsy. We conclude that the cysts arise from the collecting ducts rather than the smaller interlobular or intralobular ducts.