[Vocal fold bamboo nodes: diagnosis, treatment and pathology].

Objective To investigate the clinical features, pathology and treatment of a rarely seen laryngeal lesion, the vocal fold bamboo nodes. Methods Two patients with vocal fold bamboo nodes were retrosepectively reviewed. The clinical features, pathology and treatment were presented. Results Video laryngoscope examination showed bilaterally creamy yellow transverse bandlike deposits in the suhmucosa, which were the typical vocal fold bamboo nodes in patients with autoimmune disease. Immunofluorescence pathology showed IgA, Clq and IgM deposition in lamina propria. Both patients were initially treated with oral hormones and one patient subsequently underwent submucosal resection of the lesion. The results of pathological and immunofluorescence investigations were reported in this paper, together with a discussion of the relevant literature. Conclusions Vocal fold bamboo node is a special laryngeal lesion in patients with autoimmune disease. The pathological results showed immune complexes in the vocal fold lamina propria. A surgical intervention can be applied if steroid drugs are not effective or the dysraphism of the vocal folds exists due to the bamboo nodes. Key words: Laryngeal diseases; Vocal cords; Autoimmune diseases; Microscopy, fluorescence