Chronic vocal cord palsy in Thuringia, Germany: a population-based study on epidemiology and outcome

Does the Severity of Vocal Fold Paresis on Laryngeal Electromyography Correlate With Radiographic Findings on Cross Sectional Imaging?

OBJECTIVES

Unilateral vocal fold paresis or paralysis (UVFP) is a condition for which radiographic evaluation and laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) are valuable to evaluate severity of injury and direct treatment plans. Despite extensive research involving findings suggestive of UVFP with radiographic imaging, no study has attempted to determine which findings suggestive of UVFP on imaging are clinically significant and suggest a need for intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the severity of vocal fold paresis/paralysis affects the likelihood of encountering radiographic findings suggestive of UVFP. We also aimed to determine which findings suggestive of UVFP on imaging were clinically significant and were associated with surgical intervention.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients who had been diagnosed with unilateral vocal fold paresis or paralysis and had been evaluated by CT scan and/or magnetic resonance imaging and laryngeal electromyography (EMG) between the dates of January 1, 2017 and January 9, 2018. Fisher's exact testing with Monte Carlo Simulation was utilized to determine statistical significance of identified relationships. Univariate analysis was conducted to assess for individual relationships between imaging results and the potential predictor variables. Chi square analysis was conducted with the various categorical variables to assess for any potential relationships to imaging results. Statistical significance was determined utilizing chi square analysis.

RESULTS

After data collection, 130 patients were included in the study population. Of the 112 patients with documented MRI results, 17% had a reported imaging abnormality suggestive of true vocal fold paresis or paralysis (VFP). Of the 71 patients with documented CT Neck results, 15.4% had an abnormality potentially concerning for true VFP. The average decrease in recruitment of the right and left SLN was 23.8% and 26.1%, respectively. The average decrease in recruitment of the right and left RLN was 37.3% and 57.78%, respectively. Seventy four percent of patients who exhibited abnormal MRI were found to have isolated SLN weakness, and 21% of patients were found to have a combined SLN and ipsilateral RLN weakness. In patients with abnormal CT scans 45% were found to have isolated SLN weakness, and 35% were found to have a combined SLN and RLN weakness. MRI imaging again failed to display any significant degree of paresis. However, abnormal CT results displayed severe CN X paresis in 36.84% vs 1.96% in normal scans. The chance of an abnormal MRI and CT result was 2.78 and 5.55 times greater, respectively, for each increase in the degree of severity of CN X paresis. When looking at the ability of imaging to predict the chance of a patient undergoing surgery, 34.8% of patients with an abnormal MRI underwent surgery compared to just 14.61% of those with normal scans. For CT scans, 35% of patients with an abnormal scan underwent surgery, compared with only 15.69% with normal imaging. When pooled, over 33% of patients with any abnormal imaging underwent a laryngeal procedure compared to 13% of patients with normal imaging.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a relationship between severity of vocal fold paresis found on laryngeal EMG and likelihood of detection on imaging. While CT was more likely to find characteristics of UVFP than MRI, patients who had an abnormal finding on either modality were more likely to undergo surgical intervention. These findings highlight the importance of early referral of patients with abnormal laryngeal imaging to an otolaryngologist for evaluation and possible intervention.

Pathophysiology of aspiration in a unilateral SLN lesion model using quantitative analysis of VFSS

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the pathophysiology of aspiration in previously studied female infant piglets after a unilateral superior laryngeal nerve (uSLN) lesion.

METHODS

Videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS) were acquired from 15 female piglets ages 2-3 weeks (9 with uSLN lesion and 6 controls). VFSS were analyzed at 30 frames/second sampling rate. Quantitative measures were conducted and compared between groups using published methodologies for VFSS assessment in adult and infant humans. Measures included the: 1) number of lingual-palatal contacts (LPC) (i.e. pre-swallow), 2) total pharyngeal transit time (TPT), 3) offset of swallow (offP), as well as onset of: 4) pharyngeal stage (onP), 5) pharyngoesophageal segment opening (oPES), 6) maximum PES opening (maxPES), 7) airway closure onset (oAC), and 8) maximum airway closure (maxAC). Measures 5-7 were determined relative to onP. Bolus residue was rated by severity (0 (none) to 3 (severe)). A gamma regression was used to compare continuous measures between lesioned and control groups.

RESULTS

The number of LPC (p = .006), TPT (p = .023) and timing of maxAC (p = .041) were significantly greater in the uSLN lesion than the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Outcomes of this study replicated prior published findings and elucidated that piglets with right uSLN lesions exhibited delayed maxAC. Noteworthy was the use of clinically relevant quantitative videofluoroscopic measures in piglets for comparison to future studies in human pediatric populations.

Therapy of bilateral vocal fold paralysis: Real world data of an international multi-center registry

Purpose

To collect data on diagnosis, treatment, patient’s management, and quality of life in patient with bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP).

Methods

A retrospective, observational, multicenter registry study was performed. Medical records of 326 adults with permanent BVFP (median age: 61 years; 70% female, 60% after thyroid surgery) generated between 2010 and 2017.

Results

Median time between BVFP onset and inclusion was 1.2 years. Median post-treatment follow-up was 2 months (range: 0–42). Surgery was treatment of choice in 61.7% of the cases, with a 2-year revision rate of 32.4%. Prior to inclusion, 40.2% of the patients underwent at least one surgery. For tracheotomized patients, decannulation rate was 33.8%. Non-surgical treatments included voice therapy and botulinum toxin injection. Corticosteroid application was the most frequent treatment for post-treatment complications (18%; 1-month after surgery). Older age was an independent predictor for dyspnea (Hazard ratio [HR] = 1.041; CI = 1.005 to 1.079; p = 0.026) and the need for oxygen treatment (HR = 1.098; CI = 1.009 to 1.196; p = 0.031). Current alcohol consumption (HR = 2.565; CI = 1.232 to 5.342; p = 0.012) and a cancer-related etiology (HR = 4.767; CI = 1.615 to 14.067; p = 0.005) were independent factors of higher revision risk.

Conclusions

Surgery for BVFP is currently not standardized but highly variable. Postoperative and BVFP-related complications and revision surgery are frequent. Complications are linked to patients’ alcohol drinking habits and BVFP etiology. These results shall be confirmed by the upcoming evaluation of the prospective data of this registry.

The incidence and recovery rate of idiopathic vocal fold paralysis: a population-based study

PURPOSE

To determine the incidence and spontaneous recovery rate of idiopathic vocal fold paralysis (IVFP) and paresis (IVFp), and the impact of steroid treatment on rates of recovery.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included all patients with IVFP or IVFp within a large integrated health-care system between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2014. Patient demographics and clinical characteristics, including time to diagnosis, spontaneous recovery status, time to recovery, and treatment, were examined.

RESULTS

A total of 264 patients were identified, 183 (69.3%) with IVFP and 81 (30.7%) with IVFp. Nearly all cases (96.6%) were unilateral and 89.8% of patients were over the age of 45. The combined (IVFP and IVFp) 7-year mean incidence was 1.04 cases per 100,000 persons each year with the highest 7-year mean annual incidence in white patients (1.60 per 100,000). The total rate of spontaneous recovery was 29.5%, where 21.2% had endoscopic evidence of resolution and 8.3% had clinical improvement in their voice without endoscopic confirmation. The median time to symptom resolution was 4.0 months. Use of steroids was not linked with spontaneous recovery in multivariable analyses.

CONCLUSION

The annual incidence of VFP (IVFP and IVFp) was 1.04 cases per 100,000 persons, with spontaneous recovery occurring in nearly a third of patients, regardless of steroid use.

Unilateral recurrent nerve palsy and cardiovascular disease - Ortner's syndrome

Recurrent laryngeal palsies are relatively common. Frequently, surgical procedures precede paresis. In rare cases a compression of the recurrent laryngeal nerve can be caused by enlarged cardiovascular structures. The phenomenon of compression of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve is explicitly designated as Ortner's syndrome, first described in 1897 by Norbert Ortner. Nowadays the compression of the right recurrent laryngeal nerve by cardiovascular structures is also associated with Ortner's syndrome. We report two cases of an 82- and a 71-year-old patient who presented with hoarseness and each right- and left-sided vocal cord paralysis for further diagnosis. The ear, nose, and throat (ENT) examinations revealed no clarifying findings besides the vocal cord palsy, so extensive imaging techniques were used. The cause of left-sided recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was a penetrated aortic ulcer caused by large thrombosed aneurysm of the aortic arch. The right-sided paresis arose due to aneurysmal enlargement of the brachiocephalic trunk and an aneurysm of right subclavian artery. These cases demonstrate that interdisciplinary medical work is important. The internal medical presentation of a patient with hoarseness without ENT medical findings should be considered. <Learning objective: Ortner's syndrome is described as the compression of the recurrent laryngeal nerve of pathologically enlarged cardiac structures such as left atrium in mitral stenosis, aortic aneurysm, and others. It is a rare cause of vocal cord paralysis and thus hoarseness but should be considered as a differential diagnosis, particularly if the patient has a cardiac history.>.

Population-based analysis of tonsil surgery and postoperative hemorrhage

Although tonsil surgery is one of the most frequent otorhinolaryngological procedures, not many population-based regional or country-wide studies are published on the incidence of postoperative bleeding and its risk factors. 2,216 patients underwent tonsil surgery in 2012 in Thuringia, a federal state in Germany. Most frequent indications were recurrent tonsillitis (44 % of all cases), tonsillar abscess (27 %), and tonsillar hyperplasia (20 %). 29 % of the patients were <10 years of age. Most frequent methods of surgery were tonsillectomy (73 %) and tonsillotomy (19 %). 215 patients (10 %) had 221 events of a postoperative hemorrhage. Re-surgery for hemostasis was necessary in 137 patients (6 %). The interval to re-surgery was 4.4 ± 4.6 days. The re-surgery rate was 8, 0.2, and 15 % after tonsillectomy, tonsillotomy, and radical tonsillectomy, respectively. In cases of recurrent tonsillitis, male gender (p < 0.001), age >24.78 years (median; (p = 0.018), and waiving of perioperative antibiotics (p = 0.029) were independent factors associated with hemorrhage. In cases of tonsillar hyperplasia tonsillectomy instead of tonsillotomy, the only significant risk factor was postoperative hemorrhage (p = 0.005). The overall incidence of tonsillar surgery was 87.6/100,000. The highest incidence was seen for patients 3-4 years of age with 862.7/100,000. In children <10 years, the incidence was always higher for boys than for girls. Throughout all age groups, a reverse gender relation was only seen, if surgery was indicated for recurrent tonsillitis. We recommend establishing national guidelines for indication of tonsil surgery, especially of tonsillectomy, including recommendations for perioperative care to decrease variations in tonsil surgery rates and minimize postoperative complications.