The term juvenile laryngeal papillomatosis should be replaced by recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. The occurrence of squamous cell carcinomas in patients previously treated for papillomas underlines the need for repeated histological studies. The surgical treatment remains the mainstay in the management of laryngeal papillomatosis. The laser surgical technique is superior to conventional removal. Using the most sensitive and specific methods presently available, HPV-DNA can be detected in a large percentage of laryngeal papillomas.