What Is It? Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment FAQs Definitions
Symptoms
Symptoms of a laryngeal cleft are typically centered around eating, drinking, breathing, and speaking.
Signs of a severe cleft are often apparent at birth or within the first few days of life. Signs of a mild cleft may not appear until weeks, months, or in some cases years later, depending on severity and functional impact.
Symptoms Vary
A child with a laryngeal cleft may have a few symptoms or many. Symptoms will vary due to each child’s unique anatomy and various factors including:
cleft severity
other airway conditions, such as any type of malacia
other medical conditions
the child’s developmental level
environmental conditions (e.g. feeding position, allergens, illness)
The following symptoms may be seen with a laryngeal cleft, though additional symptoms may also occur.
Common Eating and Drinking Symptoms
coughing, choking, or distress
wet, gurgling sounds
aspiration (food or liquid entering the airway)
gagging
inability or reluctance to eat or drink
poor weight gain
dehydration
Common Breathing, Lung, and Voice Symptoms
stridor (noisy breathing)
wet or congested-sounding breathing
croupy, hoarse, or wet-sounding voice
chronic cough
frequent respiratory infections, such as pneumonia
asthma-like symptoms or reactive airway disease
Reviewed in 2024 by:
Reza Rahbar, MD, DMD — Pediatric Otolaryngology, Boston Children's Hospital
Michael Rutter, MD — Pediatric Otolaryngology, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center