A case of an isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy is reported. The differential diagnosis is discussed, in the context of the requirement for careful scrutiny of the entire course of the hypoglossal nerve on imaging, to detect underlying pathology remote from the tongue, and to avoid unnecessary invasive diagnostic procedures prompted by the appearance of a ‘pseudomass’ of the weak tongue both clinically and radiologically.

We present a case report of a lady with a laryngocele and a squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. The pathogenesis of the relationship between these two entities is discussed and the literature reviewed. This association means a carcinoma must be outruled if a laryngocele is detected clinically or radiologically.

Liposarcomas of the larynx are very rare. A review of the English literature revealed only 28 published reports of tumours in this anatomical location. Diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion and careful histologic analysis. We present a case of a well-differentiated liposarcoma of the epiglottis, the tenth reported case at this laryngeal subsite. Initial biopsy specimens showed histological characteristics of a liposarcoma, which facilitated provision of optimal surgical treatment after careful analysis of published literature.

An extremely rare case of primary non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the larynx (Stage IE) diagnosed by gene rearrangement is reported. The patient was a 76-year-old man with a chief complaint of pharyngeal discomfort. Remission was obtained by excision of the tumour and radiotherapy. Surface phenotypic studies of the laryngeal lesion demonstrated a main population of B-cells expressing L-26, some of the atypical lymphocytes positive with UCHL-1. Genotypic analysis of the specimen disclosed a clonal rearrangement of the immunoglobulin heavy chain with the same rearrangement pattern. These data indicate that this patient had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with diffuse large B-cell type. Gene rearrangement analysis was useful for diagnosis. Diagnostic and therapeutic options are discussed in light of the current literature.