A cyst is a round cavity with walls filled with fluid. It can be both congenital and acquired. A cyst is a benign formation, the location of which can be both the larynx and the pharynx. According to medical statistics, cysts in the throat are diagnosed ten times more often than cancer.
Localization of cystic formations
Most often, the cyst is round or bag-shaped. Inside and outside the walls are absolutely smooth, the color of the formation varies from yellow to pink. The cyst may be small, only a few millimeters, but there are times when it occupies a significant area and can lead to the death of a person. Most often, a cystic formation is located: in the region of the tonsils, at the base of the tongue, on the palatine arch, on the soft palate.
A fairly large percentage of cysts are located in the larynx, or more precisely, the area of their defeat is the epiglottis, which is located immediately behind the base of the tongue. A good education canaffect both the vocal cords and the walls of the larynx. Neoplasm of the larynx is extremely rarely diagnosed in children, men are most susceptible to this disease. At the same time, a cyst in the throat is quite common, both in adults and in children.
Classification of cysts
You can see the throat in the picture. The photo shows what a vocal cord cyst looks like.
There are several types of cystic formations. These include:
- Retention - the most common types of cysts. They occur in case of blockage of the glands of the larynx, when the liquid strongly presses on the ducts of the gland, and, as a result, expands them. It consists of a small number of layers of connective tissue, so the walls are very thin, there is a watery liquid inside.
- Dermoid - the walls of the cyst are very dense and thick, the contents inside have a viscous mushy consistency. Formed after rebirth from benign formations of another kind.
- Laryngocele is an air mass located in the larynx.
Reasons for education
The most common are retention cysts, which are formed due to blockage of the opening of the gland duct by microscopic debris that has come from outside, or by its own secretion.
The duct of the gland can be closed by cicatricial formations or another tumor, after which a cyst is formed in the throat. At the moment, the exact causes of formations are not yet fully known, but there are risk factors:
- Smoking. Causes severe irritation of the mucosa of the larynx and throat. It is a potential cause of the development of benign tumors.
- Alcohol. Like cigarette smoke, it is the strongest throat irritant. Alcohol abusers are significantly more likely to develop these tumors.
- Work in hazardous production. Inhaling the smallest particles of harmful substances, such as coal or asbestos, increases the risk of developing a tumor several times.
- Poor or no oral hygiene.
- Gender. A cyst in the throat is more common in men.
- Hereditary predisposition.
Salivary gland cyst
In addition to throat cysts, there are also formations in the area of the salivary gland. The disease is quite common. The cause of the appearance may be an injury to the duct of the gland, leading to atresia (natural or acquired obstruction of channels and openings in the body). Atresia disrupts the natural movement of fluid and leads to its accumulation. As a result, it gathers in one place and presses on the walls of the duct, expanding the size of the cyst cavity.
A salivary gland cyst develops in the following areas: sublingual, parotid, cheeks, inner lips, palate, tongue.
Treatment of such formations is carried out only operatively. The salivary gland cyst is carefully separated from the mucosa and sutured in layers. If the formation has penetrated deeply and affected, for example, the sublingual gland, then it is also removed.
Bthroat cyst: symptoms
Severe symptoms depend on the size and location of the cyst. If there is a formation of a small size, then the patient can find out about its presence only after a visit to the dentist or ENT doctor.
If the cyst is located in the throat, then the symptoms appear when the formation begins to grow and put pressure on neighboring tissues, while blocking the airways.
Depending on the location of the formation, the symptoms manifest themselves in different ways:
- Cyst in the epiglottis - there is a persistent feeling of a foreign object in the throat, causing discomfort when swallowing.
- Education in the glottis - the voice becomes hoarse, while at the initial stage of the disease there are no pain sensations. With the development of the tumor, pain appears, a feeling that the throat is tearing, a feeling that there is a foreign body in the larynx, an irritating cough. Possible loss of voice.
- Vocal cord cyst - manifested by hoarseness of voice.
- Formation in the region of the laryngeal ventricles - the voice becomes weaker, hoarseness appears.
Below we see a sore throat. The photo clearly shows what a laryngeal cyst looks like.
Cystic formations are considered quite safe for humans, but with all this, some risks remain - they can become inflamed.
General symptoms are added to the characteristic manifestations, causing fever, weakness, feeling that the throat is tearing up.
Danger of cystic formations
Getting big inthroat, the cyst can partially or completely block the airways, which is manifested by a lack of air, and then suffocation.
Small formations may not bother you all your life, so they do not always resort to surgical intervention to remove them. But there is a rather high risk that a benign formation will degenerate into a malignant one. Therefore, when making a diagnosis, constant monitoring by a specialist is required. If a cyst of even a small size brings discomfort or any problems, then its removal is carried out urgently.
Diagnosis of throat cysts
If the patient did not have any clinical manifestations, then he, as a rule, learns about the presence of the disease quite by accident. In this case, even if a small cyst is found, part of it must be sent for a biopsy, but, often, a histological examination is performed after removal. If there is pain in the throat or discomfort during swallowing, an otolaryngologist should be consulted to make a diagnosis. A doctor can detect the presence of a cyst using fibrolaryngoscopy or pharyngoscopy.
In order to definitely exclude malignant processes and determine the degree of cystic lesions, the patient may additionally be prescribed studies using MRI, CT, microlaryngoscopy, radiography, otoscopy, rhinoscopy.
Removal of a small cyst
When even a small cyst has to be removed, this is done in several ways:
- The doctor pierces the cystic formation, with further removal of its contents. The method is very simple to perform, but has one big drawback - the risk of re-development of the tumor.
- Under local anesthesia, "bite off" the cyst, its wall and all contents.
- Surgery under general anesthesia.
Regardless of how the cyst is removed, its contents are sent for histological examination to exclude the presence of cancer cells.
Cyst treatment
Formations of small size are most often not removed, but they are regularly observed in order to notice its growth or changes in time. Large cysts can only be treated surgically.
In the presence of complications in the form of general malaise and the presence of temperature, the patient is prescribed antibiotics and antipyretics.
Usually, cysts are not amenable to conservative treatment, but the patient may be prescribed topical drugs in order to remove discomfort and prevent its development. The following treatments may be prescribed:
- Gargling with herbal tinctures (chamomile, sage).
- Rinse with a solution of furatsilina.
- Irrigation of the throat with "Chlorophyllipt", "Tonzinal".
- Lubricating the throat area with Lugol.
- Irrigation of the cyst with glucocorticosteroids.
Treatment with folk remedies cannot be effective. Therefore, you should not hope that any healers will get rid of the problem. As a rule, no conservativetreatment cannot lead to resorption of the cyst. At the same time, the lack of professional control and treatment can lead to serious complications.
The danger of degeneration from a benign to a malignant formation is very high. That is why it is necessary to regularly undergo an examination in the presence of a small cyst, so that, in which case, it can be removed in time.
