Options for treatment of a small glottic gap.

Background: Glottic insufficiency, or glottic gap as it is commonly called, is a common cause of dysphonia, producing symptoms of soft voice, decreased projection, and vocal fatigue. The etiology of glottic gap can occur from issues related to muscle atrophy, neurologic impairment, structural abnormalities, and trauma related causes. Treatment of glottic gap can include surgical and behavioral therapies or a combination of the two. When surgery is chosen, closure of the glottic gap is the primary goal. Options for surgical management include injection medialization, thyroplasty, and other methods of medializing the vocal folds. Methods: This manuscript reviews the current literature regarding the options for treatment of glottic gap. Discussion: This manuscript discusses options for treatment of glottic gap, including the indications for temporary and permanent treatment modalities; the differences between the available materials for injection medialization laryngoplasty and how they affect the vibratory function of the vocal folds and vocal outcome; and the evidence that supports an algorithm for treatment of glottic gap. Level of Evidence: 3a-Systematic review of case-control studies.

Vocal Fold Pathologies Among Undergraduate Singing Students In Three Different Genres.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the prevalence and incidence of vocal fold pathologies among undergraduate classical, musical theatre, and contemporary commercial music (CCM) students over two-time points. METHODS: This study is part of a longitudinal investigation. Videostroboscopic examinations were rated, with consensus among three of four expert blinded raters confirming the presence of pathology. Association between genre of singer and the presence of pathology, interrater reliability, and intra-rater reliability were calculated. Prevalence and incidence of pathologies were compared across genres. RESULTS: During first-year evaluations, 32% of musical theatre, 18% of CCM, and 0% of classical students had vocal pathologies. The prevalence at third-year evaluations showed 22% of classical, 39% of musical theatre, and 27% of CCM participants having vocal fold pathologies. The incidence of pathologies was 67% of musical theatre students compared to 22% of classical students and 27% of CCM students. The four raters demonstrated fair to moderate interrater agreement. Singing Voice Handicap Index-10 scores were normal for CCM singers at both time points but elevated for musical theatre and classical singers. CONCLUSION: No classical singers were found to have pathology during first-year evaluations, although CCM and musical theatre singers showed evidence of vocal fold pathologies. At third-year evaluations, all three genres had an apparent increase in prevalence of pathologies. Implications of this study suggest that more time in the field and intense voice usage may lead to a greater risk of pathology for all singers, regardless of genre. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 Laryngoscope, 133:2317-2324, 2023.

Vocal Fold Paresis.

This article discusses vocal fold paresis as a separate and distinct condition from vocal fold paralysis. The signs and symptoms of paresis may be different and less obvious than those for paralysis, so this condition is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed. Elements necessary to heighten clinical suspicion are included to assist in educating practitioners on these subtle findings. Once paresis is suspected, associated respiratory or sensory abnormalities also should be sought, because these may change the treatment plan when recognized. Utility of laryngeal electromyography is discussed along with potential treatment options for both the motor and often-present sensory symptoms.

Adverse Events after Rigid and Flexible Endoscopic Repair of Zenker's Diverticula: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine adverse events after endoscopic flexible vs endoscopic rigid cricopharyngeal myotomy for treatment of Zenker's diverticulum (ZD). DATA SOURCES: Systematic review of MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, Clinicaltrials.gov, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for all years according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Additional studies were identified from review citations and a by hand search of manuscripts referencing ZD. REVIEW METHODS: A structured literature search was conducted to identify studies for this systematic review. Methodological Index for Non-randomized Studies (MINORS) criteria were applied to assess study quality. For inclusion, each study had to provide data for at least 10 adult patients who had undergone endoscopic ZD repair reporting clear association with the postprocedure course in each case. Data extracted included all reported adverse events, recurrences, follow-up, and operative times. RESULTS: In total, 115 studies were included. All but 8 were retrospective case series. Sixty-one reported series of patients after rigid endoscopic stapler repair, 31 after rigid laser repair, and 13 with other rigid endoscopic instruments. Twenty-nine flexible endoscopic studies were included. Mortality, infection, and perforation were not significantly more likely in either the rigid or the flexible group, but bleeding and recurrence were more likely after flexible endoscopic techniques (20% vs <10% and 4% vs 0%, respectively). Dental injury and vocal fold palsy were reported rarely in the rigid endoscopic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adverse events are rare after endoscopic Zenker's repair. The flexible approach minimizes exposure limitations and can be completed in some patients without general anesthesia. Transoral rigid approaches result in fewer revision surgeries compared with flexible diverticulotomy.

The Intensive Dysphagia Rehabilitation Approach Applied to Patients With Neurogenic Dysphagia: A Case Series Design Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of the Intensive Dysphagia Rehabilitation approach on physiological and functional swallowing outcomes in adults with neurogenic dysphagia. DESIGN: Intervention study; before-after trial with 4-week follow-up through an online survey. SETTING: Outpatient university clinics. PARTICIPANTS: A consecutive sample of subjects (N=10) recruited from outpatient university clinics. All subjects were diagnosed with adult-onset neurologic injury or disease. Dysphagia diagnosis was confirmed through clinical and endoscopic swallowing evaluations. No subjects withdrew from the study. INTERVENTIONS: Participants completed the 4-week Intensive Dysphagia Rehabilitation protocol, including 2 oropharyngeal exercise regimens, a targeted swallowing routine using salient stimuli, and caregiver participation. Treatment included hourly sessions twice per week and home practice for approximately 45 min/d. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures assessed pre- and posttreatment included airway safety using an 8-point Penetration Aspiration Scale, lingual isometric pressures, self-reported swallowing-related quality of life (QOL), and level of oral intake. Also, patients were monitored for adverse dysphagia-related effects. QOL and adverse effects were also assessed at the 4-week follow-up (online survey). RESULTS: The Intensive Dysphagia Rehabilitation approach was effective in improving maximum and mean Penetration Aspiration Scale scores (P<.05, η(2)=.8146 and P<.05, η(2)=.799708, respectively) and level of oral intake (P<.005, Cohen d=-1.387). Of the 5 patients who were feeding tube dependent initially, 2 progressed to total oral nutrition, and 2 progressed to partial oral nutrition. One patient remained tube dependent. QOL was significantly improved at the 4-week follow-up (95% confidence interval, 6.38-14.5; P<.00), but not at the posttreatment. No adverse effects were observed/reported. CONCLUSIONS: The Intensive Dysphagia Rehabilitation approach was safe and improved physiological and some functional swallowing outcomes in our sample; however, further investigation is needed before it can be widely applied.

Superior thyroid cornu syndrome: an unusual cause of cervical dysphagia.

OBJECTIVES: Ossification of a superior thyroid cornu in men may cause pharyngeal airway impingement and result in cervical dysphagia. We report on a clinical case series of this rare condition, called superior thyroid cornu syndrome. This is the first report of a case series of this entity as a possible cause of cervical dysphagia that was successfully treated with an endoscopic procedure. METHODS: A clinical case series of 12 patients were identified as having superior thyroid cornu syndrome (years 2001 to 2006). Eleven patients were male and 1 was female; their mean age was 54.6 years. They complained of unresolved throat pain, difficulty swallowing, and/or pain on swallowing. On flexible laryngoscopy, there was an asymmetric indentation of the pharynx due to a prominent superior thyroid cornu. Laryngeal manipulation produced the pain and exposed the prominent cornu in the airway. Computed tomographic evidence of calcification of the superior thyroid horn without other abnormality was noted. RESULTS: After maximal medical treatment with proton pump inhibitors, anti-inflammatory agents, nasal steroids, antihistamines, and/or other allergy treatments, 8 of the patients who had persistent symptoms were treated by transoral pharyngotomy and resection of an approximately 2.0 x 0.5-cm segment of a thyroid cornu. Vast improvement in symptoms occurred in 6 patients, and complete symptom resolution occurred in 3 of those 6. Two of 8 patients reported improvement in swallowing, but persistent pain. The follow-up duration was between 2 and 15 months from the time of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Superior thyroid cornu syndrome may be a rare cause of cervical dysphagia. It may be diagnosed by careful laryngoscopy with laryngeal palpation followed by a computed tomography scan. Surgical resection of the affected superior thyroid cornu by transoral pharyngotomy appears to be effective in relief of symptoms.

The use of the pulse dye laser in the treatment of vocal fold scar: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Dysphonia due to vocal fold scarring is a challenging problem to the laryngologist. Vocal fold scarring after radiation, phonosurgery, and laser cordectomy causes moderate to severe dysphonia. Surgical attempts at scar removal and voice restoration have limited success. Pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment has been shown to be effective in softening scarred skin by serial office treatments. The objective of this preliminary study was to evaluate the use of the PDL in the management of patients with established vocal fold scar. STUDY DESIGN: This is an Institutional Review Board-approved prospective study involving 11 patients. The causes of scarring were phonosurgery (n = 7), radiation (n = 2), and partial laryngectomy (n = 2). The subjects were evaluated pre- and postprocedure using the voice handicap index (VHI), laryngeal stroboscopy rating, voice recordings with acoustic and aerodynamic analysis, and self-evaluation. METHODS: The PDL was applied with the fiberoptic delivery system by three treatments at 1-month intervals in the office setting. Each treatment endpoint was blanching of the treatment site. RESULTS: : There were three women and eight men in our study group. Ten of 11 patients subjectively improved by self-rating. No patients were worse. VHI improved from 48.44 pretreatment to 35.55 at 6 months posttreatment (P < .05). The jitter at 6 months improved from 2.230% to 1.654% (P = NS) and shimmer improved from 3.679% to 3.196% (P = NS). The noise to harmonic ration improved from 0.1428 to 0.1316 (P = NS). The mean phonotory flow went from 0.177 to 0.254 L/S (P < .05). Three raters blinded to treatment sequence rated the posttreatment stroboscopy findings as better than pretreatment in a forced choice comparison, kappa score 0.903. CONCLUSION: PDL is a safe and potentially promising treatment for established vocal fold scar. Subjectively, no patients were worse and 10 of 11 patients reported improved voice. There was improvement in the VHI, acoustic measures of shimmer and jitter, and stroboscopy findings. Further study using this approach in a larger cohort seems to be warranted.

Office pulsed dye laser treatment for benign laryngeal vascular polyps: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVES: The 585-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) was recently deemed relatively safe and effective for treatment of laryngeal papilloma, dysplasia, and granuloma. We report on in-office PDL treatment of laryngeal vascular polyps. METHODS: Retrospective case results from 29 consecutive cases of laryngeal polyps were evaluated to determine the percent change in polyps after PDL treatment. Preoperative and postoperative measurements of polyp size, total power delivered to the site, and whether patients opted for postprocedure phonomicrosurgery were analyzed. RESULTS: After PDL treatment, the results varied from complete to partial resolution of the polyp. Four patients requested conventional phonomicrosurgery, and the rest had enough improvement to defer surgery. Almost 40% of patients with larger polyps desired operative intervention after laser treatment, whereas only 13% of those with small polyps opted for phonomicrosurgery. Thirty-eight percent (11 of 29) of the lesions had greater than 70% improvement after 1 or 2 laser treatments (average of 1.1 procedures). Smaller lesions responded better. Thirty-nine percent of small polyps resolved by greater than 70%, whereas only 20% of larger lesions improved by the same amount. There were no adverse events from the office procedure. CONCLUSIONS: In-office use of the PDL for treatment of vascular polyps may be a safe alternative to phonomicrosurgery. Small polyps seem to show a better response.