Laryngotracheooesophageal cleft

**Definition:** A laryngo-tracheo-oesophageal cleft (LC) is a congenital malformation characterised by an abnormal, posterior, sagittal communication between the larynx and the pharynx, possibly extending downward between the trachea and the oesophagus. Five types of laryngo-tracheo-oesophageal cleft have been described based on the downward extension of the cleft, which typically correlates with the severity of symptoms: Type 0 laryngo-tracheo-oesophageal cleft to Type 4 laryngo-tracheo-oesophageal cleft (see these terms).