Vallecular Cyst: Reminder of a Rare Cause of Stridor and Failure to Thrive in Infants

The vallecular cyst is a rare cause of stridor, respiratory distress, and failure to thrive in infants. Large vallecular cysts may present with serious complications such as life-threatening airway obstruction. This report is of an infant who presented with stridor and failure to thrive. The patient’s condition was diagnosed as the presence of a vallecular cyst using flexible laryngoscopy. The vallecular cyst was successfully managed using endoscopic marsupialization. After the procedure, the patient was asymptomatic and dramatically gained weight within a few months. This case report serves as a reminder for clinicians to consider vallecular cysts as a differential diagnosis of stridor and failure to thrive in infants. It also emphasizes that early diagnosis and management lead to favorable clinical outcomes.