Introduction and objective:

Laryngeal papillomatosis represent the most frequent benign tumor of the larynx, with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) being its most complex clinical presentation. This entity, with low worldwide prevalence, is associated with a significant impact on the patients' economy and quality of life. There is limited data on its epidemiological profile in Latin America. The objectives of this study are to identify the clinical, epidemiological, treatment and follow-up characteristics proper to this entity and specific for our region.

Method:

A retrospective observational study that describes all patients with RRP attended in the ENT department of Teodoro Maldonado Carbo Specialty Hospital (Guayaquil-Ecuador), over a period of 5 years.

Results:

34 patients with RRP were identified. 88,24% were adult onset RRP. Male/female ratio was 2,09:1. The age of diagnosis varied from 3-75 years with an average of 45,41 years. The predominant symptom was dysphonia in 97,06%. The main anatomical site of injury was the vocal cords in 85,29%. 23 patients had a surgery in our institution (67,65%).15 patients presented squamous papilloma without dysplasia (65,21%). We identified 5 patients in remission, 5 with persistence and 13 with post-surgical recurrences.

Discussion:

Annual frequency of RRP was higher than reported in international literature. There were variations regarding age and sex distribution, and percentages of dysplasia and malignancy. No differences were observed in the frequency of symptoms, time of evolution, anatomical location, number of previous surgeries, or post-surgical recurrences.

Conclusions:

Adult onset RRP was the most frequent presentation, with male sex predilection and a bimodal age distribution. The main symptom at diagnosis was dysphonia associated with a chronic evolution and vocal cords involvement. The age of diagnosis was inversely proportional to the number of previous surgeries but was not related to pre-surgical severity or histopathological diagnosis. The prevalence of post-surgical recurrences dominated in both groups, denoting the aggressiveness of the infection as well as the limitations of unimodal treatment.

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