Asymptomatic Laryngoceles in Wind-Instrument Bandsmen

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Abstract
A LARYNGOCELE is a pathological enlargement of the saccule of a laryngeal ventricle. Found only in mammals, the laryngeal ventricle is that diverticulum of glottic airway which lies between the true and false cords. The anterior part of each ventricle extends further than the rest to form the saccule. Saccules vary considerably in size and shape between species. Within the primates, tree-climbing apes have the largest saccules. In the orangutan, in particular, they are massive, extending through the thyrohyoid space into the neck and over the chest. Apparently they act as air reservoirs, increasing the animal's vital capacity when it is climbing with a closed glottis. In man the normal saccule is a small appendage which does not extend above the upper border of the thyroid cartilage,1 and although its secretions may help to lubricate the vocal cords, it has no other known function. In the human, each saccule

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