Patient Experience of Awake Laryngoscopy Procedures

OBJECTIVE(S)

To quantify and compare pre-procedure worry versus the experience of pain, gagging, and dyspnea during in-office laryngoscopy procedures in patients who did or did not receive pre-procedure anxiolytics, and to explore patient perception of intra-procedure interventions.

METHODS

Patients undergoing awake laryngology procedures at a quaternary care center were enrolled. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Y1 and Y2 questionnaires were administered to establish baseline levels of state anxiety and trait anxiety, respectively. Pre-procedure and post-procedure surveys assessed patient perception of select interventions.

RESULTS

34 patients were enrolled (35.3% female, 91.2% white, mean age 60 years). Pre-procedure, 51.5% of patients reported some degree of worry about pain, 61.8% about gagging, 52.9% about dyspnea, and 55.9% about having something in their nose/throat. Post-procedure, 54.5% reported experiencing pain to some degree, 63.6% had gagging, 39.4% had dyspnea, and 78.7% were bothered by having something in their nose/throat. Patients who received a pre-procedure anxiolytic were significantly more likely to report more pain compared to those who did not. The highest rated interventions were pre-procedural education (97.0% "Very helpful"), verbal reassurance (96.9%), provider communicating steps of the procedure (96.9%), and reminders to breathe (87.5%).

CONCLUSION

For patients undergoing awake laryngology procedures, the anticipation of gagging, pain, trouble breathing, and scope-related discomfort are worrisome factors. Of these, scope-related discomfort and gagging are the most often-reported sources of intraprocedural discomfort. The interventions patients found most helpful were based on preprocedural education and clear intraprocedural communication, which suggests that purposeful communication has a role in relieving anxiety.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 4.

Awake flexible bronchoscopy in children: A case series, feasibility and precautions

INTRODUCTION

Flexible bronchoscopy under anesthesia is a mainstay diagnostic tool for evaluating respiratory disorders in pediatric patients. While flexible bronchoscopy is generally regarded as a safe procedure with low risk for major complications, it does entail additional risks associated with the use of general anesthesia. The use of diagnostic awake flexible bronchoscopy in children is not well documented in current literature.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this case series is to investigate the feasibility and potential utility of awake flexible bronchoscopy in pediatric patients and to highlight important precautions and complications.

METHODS

This was a consecutive case series of patients who underwent an awake flexible bronchoscopy over a two year period at a tertiary children's hospital. Data collection included demographics, indications, number of attempts, scope findings, and complications. Successful attempts of flexible bronchoscopy were defined by visualization of the trachea and mainstem bronchi while failed attempts include if the scope entered the esophagus or if cough, vocal fold adduction, or movement prevented the scope from entering the trachea.

RESULTS

11 patients were involved in this study (mean age 20 months, age range 0d to 5y 1m, 72 % male). Common indications for bronchoscopy were suspicion of foreign body (5, 45.4 %), chronic cough (4, 36.4 %), and stridor (4, 36.4 %). The mean number of attempts until successful was 1.72 (range 1-3). One patient experienced a 30-s episode of gagging with mucinous emesis. There were no other complications. One patient ultimately underwent another flexible bronchoscopy under general anesthesia to confirm the findings and to evaluate the tertiary bronchioles and another patient underwent a surgical resection of an oral mass under general anesthesia after awake flexible bronchoscopy.

DISCUSSION

Awake flexible bronchoscopy was well tolerated in this study and could serve as a useful diagnostic tool without necessitating anesthetic. However, further study is needed to compare awake flexible bronchoscopy with flexible bronchoscopy under general anesthesia. Additionally, the patients selected for this study were limited to those with minimal risk, such as patients without cardiac disease. Limitations of this technique include suboptimal visualization of subglottic region and limited diagnostic utility for sleep related airway pathologies and cases where therapeutic intervention is needed.

The influence of clinical experience on reliable evaluation of pharyngeal and laryngeal lesions: comparison of high-definition laryngoscopy using narrow band imaging with fibre-optic laryngoscopy

BACKGROUND

Fibre-optic laryngoscopy is still widely used in daily clinical practice; however, high-definition laryngoscopy using narrow band imaging could be more reliable in characterising pharyngeal and laryngeal lesions.

METHODS

Endoscopic videos were assessed in a tertiary referral hospital by 12 observers with different levels of clinical experience. Thirty pairs of high-definition laryngoscopy with narrow band imaging and fibre-optic laryngoscopy videos were judged twice, with an interval of two to four weeks, in a random order. Inter- and intra-observer reliability, sensitivity and specificity were calculated in terms of detecting a malignant lesion and a specific histological entity, for beginners, trained observers and experts.

RESULTS

Using high-definition laryngoscopy with narrow band imaging, inter-observer reliability for detecting malignant lesions increased from moderate to substantial in trained observers and experts (high-definition laryngoscopy with narrow band imaging κ = 0.66 and κ = 0.77 vs fibre-optic laryngoscopy κ = 0.51 and κ = 0.56, for trained observers and experts respectively) and sensitivity increased by 16 per cent.

CONCLUSION

Inter-observer reliability increased with the level of clinical experience, especially when using high-definition laryngoscopy with narrow band imaging.

Refining postoperative monitoring of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in esophagectomy patients through transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasonography

BACKGROUND

Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (RLNI) leading to vocal cord paralysis (VCP) is a significant complication following minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) with upper mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasonography (TLUSG) has emerged as a non-invasive alternative to endoscopic examination for evaluating vocal cord function. Our study aimed to assess the diagnostic value of TLUSG in detecting RLNI by evaluating vocal cord movement after MIE.

METHODS

This retrospective study examined 96 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent MIE between January 2021 and December 2022, using both TLUSG and endoscopy.

RESULTS

VCP was observed in 36 out of 96 patients (37.5%). The incidence of RLNI was significantly higher on the left side than the right (29.2% vs. 5.2%, P < 0.001). Postoperative TLUSG showed a sensitivity and specificity of 88.5% (31/35) and 86.5% (45/52), respectively, with an AUC of 0.869 (P < 0.001, 95% CI 0.787-0.952). The percentage agreement between TLUSG and endoscopy in assessing VCP was 87.4% (κ = 0.743).

CONCLUSIONS

TLUSG is a highly effective screening tool for VCP, given its high sensitivity and specificity. This can potentially eliminate the need for unnecessary endoscopies in about 80% of patients who have undergone MIE.

A Prospective Study Evaluating the Feasibility and Accuracy of Post-operative Laryngeal Ultrasonography (LUSG) in Assessment of Vocal Cord Function After Esophagectomy

BACKGROUND

Vocal cord paresis (VCP) is a serious complication after esophagectomy. Conventional diagnosis of VCP relies on flexible laryngoscopy (FL), which is invasive. Laryngeal ultrasonography (LUSG) is non-invasive and convenient. It has provided accurate VC evaluation after thyroidectomy but it is unclear if it is just as accurate following esophagectomy. This prospective study evaluated the feasibility and accuracy of LUSG in VC assessment on day-1 after esophagectomy.

METHODS

Consecutive patients from a tertiary teaching hospital who underwent elective esophagectomy were prospectively recruited. All received pre-operative FL, and post-operative LUSG and FL on Day-1, each performed by a blinded, independent assessor. The primary outcomes were feasibility and accuracy of LUSG in the diagnosis of VCP on Day-1 post-esophagectomy. The accuracy of voice assessment (VA) was analyzed.

RESULTS

Twenty-six patients were eligible for analysis. The median age was 70 years (66-73). Majority were male (84.6%). Twenty-five (96.2%) received three-phase esophagectomy. Twenty-four (96%) had same-stage anastomosis at the neck. Three (11.5%) developed temporary and one (3.8%) developed permanent unilateral VCP. Overall VC visualization rate by LUSG was 100%; sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy of LUSG were 75.0%, 100%, 100%, 98.0%, 98.1% respectively, and superior to VA. Combining LUSG with VA findings could pick up all VCPs i.e. improved sensitivity and NPV to 100%.

CONCLUSION

LUSG is a highly feasible, accurate and non-invasive method to evaluate VC function early after esophagectomy. Post-operative FL may be avoided in patients with both normal LUSG and voice.

Awake nasotracheal intubation with a 300-mm working length fiberscope: a prospective observational feasibility trial

BACKGROUND

Awake fiberoptic tracheal intubation is an established method of securing difficult airways, but there are some reservations about its use because many practitioners find it technically complicated, time-consuming, and unpleasant for patients. Our main goal was to test the safety and efficacy of a 300-mm working length fiberscope (video rhino-laryngoscope) when used for awake nasotracheal intubation in difficult airway cases.

METHODS

This was a prospective, single-center study involving adult patients, having an ASA physical status between I and IV, with laryngopharyngeal pathology causing distorted airway anatomy. Awake nasotracheal intubation, using topical anesthesia and light sedation, was performed using a 300 mm long and 2.9 mm diameter fiberscope equipped with a lubricated reinforced endotracheal tube. The primary outcomes were the success and duration of the procedure. Patients' periprocedural satisfaction and other incidents were recorded.

RESULTS

We successfully intubated all 25 patients included in this study. The mean ±SD duration of the procedure, starting from the passage of the intubating tube through one of the nostrils until the endotracheal intubation, was 76 ± 36 seconds. Most of the patients showed no discomfort during the procedure with statistical significance between the No reaction Group with the Slight grimacing Group (95%CI 0.13, 0.53, p = 0.047) and the Heavy grimacing Group (95%CI 0.05, 0.83, p = 0.003). The mean ±SD satisfaction score 24 hours post-intervention was 1.8 ± 0.86 - mild discomfort. No significant incidents occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that a 300-mm working length flexible endoscope is fast, safe, and well-tolerated for nasotracheal awake intubation under challenging airways.

Vocal cord dysfunction after pediatric cardiac surgery: A prospective implementation study

Objective

To determine the incidence, outcomes, and evaluate diagnostic modalities for postoperative vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) following cardiothoracic surgery in children.

Methods

A prospective mixed-methods study using principles of implementation science was completed. All patients undergoing surgery involving the aortic arch, ductus, or ligamentum arteriosum and vascular rings from September 2019 to December 2020 were enrolled. Patients underwent speech pathology assessment, laryngeal ultrasound, and flexible direct laryngoscopy.

Results

Ninety-five patients were eligible for inclusion. The incidence of VCD ranged from 18% to 56% and varied according to procedure group. VCD occurred in 42% of neonates. Repair of hypoplastic aortic arch was associated with increased risk of VCD (57%; P = .002). There was no significant difference in duration of intubation, pediatric intensive care unit stay, or hospital stay. Forty percent children were able to achieve full oral feeding. Children with VCD were more likely to require nasogastric supplementary feeding at discharge (60% vs 36%; P = .044). Sixty-eight percent of patients demonstrated complete resolution of VCD at a median of 97 days postoperatively. Laryngeal ultrasound and speech pathology assessment combined had a sensitivity of 91% in comparison to flexible direct laryngoscopy.

Conclusions

VCD occurred in one-third and resolved in two-thirds of patients at a median of 3 months following cardiac surgery. Aortic arch repair carried the highest risk of VCD. VCD adversely influenced feeding. Forty percent of patients achieved full oral feeding before discharge. VCD did not delay intensive care unit or hospital discharge. Speech pathology assessment and laryngeal ultrasound combined was reliable for diagnosis in most patients and was more patient friendly than flexible direct laryngoscopy.

Diagnosis of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis following esophagectomy by evaluating movement of the vocal cords and arytenoid cartilages using ultrasonography

Advancements in thoracoscopic surgery have provided us with a deeper anatomical understanding of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (RLNP), which is likely to occur after lymph node dissection. Taking a novel approach to researching the diagnosis of RLNP, we evaluated movement of the vocal cords and arytenoid cartilages using ultrasonography in patients who underwent thoracoscopic esophagectomy. RLNP occurred in six of the 24 patient cohort. The rate of hoarseness and difficulty in discharging sputum was significantly higher in the paralyzed group than in the non-paralyzed group. The diagnostic accuracy of RLNP by ultrasonography had a sensitivity of 83.3% (5/6), a specificity of 88.8% (16/18), a false positive rate of 5.6% (1/18), and a false negative rate of 0% (0/6). Although it is not completely accurate, our findings indicate that ultrasonography is quite effective for diagnosing RLNP, more so in combination with clinical symptoms. Ultrasonography may also be effective for identifying patients who are amenable to laryngoscopy for diagnosing RLNP, or for evaluating the recovery status of nerve paralysis.

Care and Management of Voice Change for Thyroid Surgery: Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics Clinical Practice Guideline

Voice change is a common complaint after thyroid surgery and has significant impacts on quality of life. The Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics, and Logopedics set up a task force team to establish guideline recommendations on education, care, and management related to thyroid surgery. The guideline recommendations include preoperative voice education, management of anticipated voice change during surgery, and comprehensive voice care after thyroid surgery, including in-depth information and up-to-date knowledge based on validated literature. The committee constructed 14 key questions (KQ) in three categories: preoperative (KQ1-2), intraoperative (KQ 3-8), and postoperative (KQ 9-14) management and developed 18 evidence-based recommendations. The Delphi survey reached an agreement on each recommendation. Detailed evidence profiles are presented for each recommendation. The level of evidence for each recommendation is classified into high, moderate, and low-quality. The recommendation's strengths are adjusted to consider the level of evidence resulting in the recommendation and are divided into strong and weak. The guidelines are primarily targeted toward physicians who treat thyroid surgery patients and speech-language pathologists participating in patient care. These guidelines will also help primary care physicians, nurses, healthcare policymakers, and patients improve their understanding of voice changes and voice care after thyroid surgery.

Learning to Interpret Pediatric Vocal Fold Mobility: A Laryngeal Ultrasound Training Module

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS

Vocal fold movement impairment (VFMI) in infants and children is most commonly evaluated by flexible nasolaryngoscopy (FNL). FNL in this population can be challenging due to movement, floppy supraglottic structures, or secretions. Laryngeal ultrasound (LUS) may be an alternative, less invasive means of evaluating VFMI that also decreases aerosolization during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary objective was to examine LUS interpretation proficiency for VFMI via an educational module. A secondary outcome was to determine whether quantitative measurements increase interpretation accuracy.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective cohort trial.

METHODS

Medical students, residents, fellows, faculty, and staff were recruited to complete the module, composed of a 13-minute teaching video followed by 20 cases. Participants determined both qualitatively (subjective assessment) and then quantitatively (through protractor measurements of the vocal fold to arytenoid angle) whether there was normal versus impaired vocal fold mobility.

RESULTS

Thirty participants completed the LUS training module, and about one-third were otolaryngology residents. On average, each participant correctly identified 18 cases. The mean rank percent correct for quantitative measurements was significantly higher than that of qualitative interpretations (P < .0001). Measurements significantly caused participants to change their answer correctly compared to incorrectly (P < .0001). As the module progressed, there was no significant trend of more correct interpretations (P = .30). The sensitivity was higher for quantitative interpretations (89.0% vs. 87.3%) but specificity remained unchanged (92.6%).

CONCLUSION

Quantitative measurements may increase LUS interpretation accuracy. There was not a specific number of cases interpreted to achieve learning proficiency. LUS is an easily learned method to evaluate for VFMI across all training levels.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

3 (local cohort study nonrandomized) Laryngoscope, 2021.

High-definition videolaryngoscopy is superior to fiberoptic laryngoscopy: a 111 multi-observer study

Purpose

This study aims to analyse differences in fiberoptic laryngoscopy (FOL) versus high definition laryngoscopy (HDL) by examining videolaryngoscopy images by a large group of observers with different levels of clinical expertise in ear, nose and throat (ENT) medicine.

Methods

This study is a 111 observer paired analysis of laryngoscopy videos during an interactive presentation. During a National Meeting of the Dutch Society of ENT/Head and Neck Surgery, observers assessed both FOL and HDL videos of nine cases with additional clinical information. Observers included 41 ENT consultants (36.9%), 34 ENT residents (30.6%), 22 researchers with Head and Neck interest (19.8%) and 14 with unspecified clinical expertise (12.6%). For both laryngoscopic techniques, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy were determined for identifying a normal glottis, hyperkeratosis, radiotherapy adverse effects and squamous cell carcinoma. The sensitivities for FOL and HDL were analysed with regard to the different levels of clinical expertise.

Results

The overall sensitivity for correctly identifying the specific histological entity was higher in HDL (FOL 61% vs HDL 66.3%, p < 0.05). HDL was superior to FOL in identifying a normal glottis (FOL 68.1% vs HDL 91.6%, p < 0.01) and squamous cell carcinoma (FOL 70.86% vs HDL 79.41%, p = 0.02). Residents and researchers with Head and Neck interest diagnosed laryngeal lesions more correctly with HDL (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

In a large population of observers with different levels of clinical expertise, HDL is superior to FOL in identifying laryngeal lesions.

Guidelines for the Management of Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis From the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics

The Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics appointed a task force to establish clinical practice guidelines for the management of unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP). These guidelines cover a comprehensive range of management-related factors, including the diagnosis and treatment of UVFP, and provide in-depth information based on current, up-to-date knowledge. Detailed evidence profiles are provided for each recommendation. The CORE databases, including OVID Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed, were searched to identify all relevant papers, using a predefined search strategy. When insufficient evidence existed, expert opinions and Delphi questionnaires were used to fill the evidence gap. The committee developed 16 evidence-based recommendations in six categories: initial evaluation (R1–4), spontaneous recovery (R5), medical treatment (R6), surgical treatment (R7–14), voice therapy (R15), and aspiration prevention (R16). The goal of these guidelines is to assist general otolaryngologists and speech-language pathologists who are primarily responsible for treating patients with UVFP. These guidelines are also intended to facilitate understanding of the condition among other health-care providers, including primary care physicians, nurses, and policy-makers.

Differences in the diagnostic value between fiberoptic and high definition laryngoscopy for the characterisation of pharyngeal and laryngeal lesions: A multi-observer paired analysis of videos

OBJECTIVES

High definition laryngoscopy (HDL) could lead to better interpretation of the pharyngeal and laryngeal mucosa than regularly used fiberoptic laryngoscopy (FOL). The primary aim of this study is to quantify the diagnostic advantage of HDL over FOL in detecting mucosal anomalies in general, in differentiating malignant from benign lesions and in predicting specific histological entities. The secondary aim is to analyse image quality of both laryngoscopes.

DESIGN

Retrospective paired analysis with multiple observers evaluating endoscopic videos simulating daily clinical practice.

SETTING

A tertiary referral hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

In 36 patients, both FOL and HDL videos were obtained. Six observers were provided with additional clinical information, and 36 FOL and HDL videos were evaluated in a randomised order.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of observers using both flexible laryngoscopes were calculated for detection of mucosal lesions in general and uncovering malignant lesions. Sensitivities were calculated for prediction of specific histological entities. Image quality (scale 1-10) was assessed for both flexible laryngoscopes.

RESULTS

HDL reached higher sensitivity compared to FOL for detection of mucosal abnormalities in general (96.0% vs 90.4%; P = .03), differentiating malignant from benign lesions (91.7% vs 79.8%; P = .03) and prediction of specific histological entities (59.7% vs 47.2%; P < .01). Image quality was judged better with HDL in comparison with FOL (mean: 8.4 vs 5.4, P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

HDL is superior to FOL in detecting mucosal anomalies in general, malignancies and specific histological entities. Image quality is considered as superior using HDL compared to FOL.

Vestibular Testing: Patient Perceptions, Morbidity, and Opportunity Costs

OBJECTIVE

To characterize patient tolerance and nonmonetary cost burdens of vestibular testing. Rigorously acquired data are essential for patient counseling and to determine if proposed additions/modifications to current protocols improve quality, experience, and efficiencies of care.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective observational study.

SETTING

Tertiary center.

PATIENTS

130 adults (67% women, mean age 55 yr), referred to audiology clinic for vestibular testing.

INTERVENTION(S)

Surveys administered to patients and audiologists immediately and 1 week following videonystagmography (VNG) with caloric and/or rotary chair (RC) testing.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Symptoms, visual analog scale ratings of dizziness, distress, and nausea during testing; test completion; and opportunity costs (time, missed work).

RESULTS

Seventy-five patients (58%) experienced undesirable symptoms during testing, including nausea (50%), vomiting (5%), and headaches (12%). Distress and nausea ratings during testing were low (<3/10), with RC ratings lower than VNG. Nineteen patients (15%) discontinued testing early, rating distress and nausea two to three times higher than those who completed testing (p < 0.05). Greater dizziness was associated with younger age and female sex, not migraine and total eye speed. Women had increased distress. Test times were 71 [23] and 26 [13] minutes for VNG with calorics and RC, respectively. Testing required 48% to miss work (range 2-120 h) and 78% obtained assistance to/from testing. Posttest symptoms included drowsiness/fatigue (44%), nausea (31%), and headache (33%).

CONCLUSIONS

This work provides baseline patient tolerance data for vestibular testing. While eliciting distress ratings comparable to other in-office otolaryngology procedures, there are high frequencies of undesirable symptoms, posttest morbidity, and opportunity costs.

Vocal Cord Palsies Missed by Transcutaneous Laryngeal Ultrasound (TLUSG): Do They Experience Worse Outcomes?

INTRODUCTION

Transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasound (TLUSG) is an innovative, non-invasive tool in detecting post-thyroidectomy vocal cord palsy (VCP). However, TLUSG failed to detect about 6-15% laryngoscopic examination (LE)-confirmed VCP. It is unclear whether the outcome of patients with VCP missed by TLUSG [false negative (FN)] is different from those with VCP diagnosed by TLUSG [true positive (TP)]. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the clinical outcome and prognosis between patients with FN results and TP results.

METHODS

Over 46 months, all consecutive patients undergoing thyroidectomy or endocrine-related neck procedure were recruited. They underwent pre-operative and post-operative voice assessments on symptoms, voice-specific questionnaire [voice handicap index questionnaire (VHI-30)], TLUSG and LE. For patients with post-operative vocal cord palsy, reassessment LE would be arranged at second, fourth, sixth and twelfth months post-operatively until VCP recovered.

RESULTS

In total, 1196 patients, including 74 post-thyroidectomy VCP, were recruited. For those with assessable vocal cords (VC), 58 VCP were correctly diagnosed by TLUSG (TP) and 10 VCP were missed by TLUSG (FN). Sensitivity and specificity of detecting a VCP by TLUSG were 85.3% and 94.7%, respectively. VHI-30 score was significantly increased after operation in TP group [31 (range - 6-105), p < 0.001] but not in FN group [20 (14-99), p = 0.089]. Comparing to TP group, VCP recovered earlier (69 vs. 125 days, p < 0.001) and less patients suffered from permanent VCP in patients with FN results. (34.5% vs. 0.0%, p = 0.027).

CONCLUSION

The VCP missed by TLUSG had a milder course of disease. Early recovery of VC function and non-permanent palsy were expected.

Functional analysis of vocal folds by transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasonography in patients undergoing thyroidectomy

BACKGROUND

Transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasound (TCLUS) can assess Vocal folds (VF) by subjectively identifying mobility or objectively by calculating vocal fold displacement velocity (VFDV). Optimal diagnostic approach (subjective assessment, VFDV estimation or a combination of both) is unresolved; hence, we conducted this prospective study in patients undergoing thyroidectomy.

METHOD

Two anaesthetists performed TCLUS pre- and post-operatively for functional assessment of 200 VFs on 100 patients. Their findings were compared with pre-operative flexible laryngoscope (FL) performed by surgeons and with post-operative C-Mac video laryngoscope (C-Mac VL) by another independent anaesthetist. Correlation between FL and TCLUS findings and inter-rater agreement between TCLUS findings of both anaesthetists was analysed. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was performed to compare clinical benefit of hoarseness, subjective VF movement, VFDV, and combined assessment for detecting disabled VFs.

RESULTS

We found good correlation between VF mobility on TCLUS and FL (Spearman's r = 0.93, P < 0.0001) as well as C-Mac VL (Spearman's r = 0.83, P < 0.0001) with excellent inter-rater agreement between both anaesthetists. DCA showed combined assessment to have marginally higher clinical benefit than other diagnostic approaches at intermediate threshold probabilities while its benefit was similar to subjective evaluation at higher threshold probabilities.

CONCLUSION

Provided achievement of optimal acoustic window, TCLUS can reliably assess disabled VFs with FL reserved for their confirmation or doubtful cases. Subjective assessment of VF mobility should suffice in most cases with additional VFDV estimation reserved pre-operatively for situations with higher risk of VFs disability, and post-operatively when subjective VF assessment findings are discordant from pre-operative status.

Selective Laryngeal Examination: Sensitivity of Endocrine Surgeons in Screening Voice Abnormality

OBJECTIVES

Selective laryngeal examination for patients undergoing thyroidectomy is recommended for patients with voice alterations, history of prior cervical or chest surgery, and patients with proven or suspected thyroid malignancy. The study objective is to measure the sensitivity of surgeons in detecting voice abnormalities in patients undergoing thyroidectomy, parathyroidectomy complicated with laryngeal nerve paralysis, or patients with known vocal cords palsy (VCP) due to other neck surgeries.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Descriptive cross-sectional study in a tertiary center.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

The subjects are 274 audio files of voices of patients undergoing thyroid, parathyroid surgeries, and known VCP due to other neck surgeries. Voice assessments were done by three endocrine surgeons (A, B, and C) with 20, 12, and 4 years of surgical experience.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Sensitivity and specificity of surgeon documented voice assessment in patients with underlying VCP. Subjects' acoustic analysis and Voice Handicap Index (VHI-10) were analyzed.

RESULTS

Raters A, B, and C have sensitivity of 63.6%, 78.8%, and 66.7%, respectively. Inter-rater reliability shows substantial agreement (ƙ = 0.67). VHI-10 has sensitivity of 75.8% and strong correlation of 0.707 (p value <0.001) to VCP. Subjects with VCP have notably higher jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonic ratio compared to normal subjects with sensitivity of 74.2%, 71.2%, and 72.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The results for surgeons documented voice assessment did not reach the desired sensitivity for a screening tool for patients with underlying VCP. Other tools such as VHI-10 and acoustic analysis may not be used as standalone tools in screening patients with underlying VCP. Routine preoperative laryngeal examination may be recommended for all patients undergoing thyroid, parathyroid, or other surgeries that places the laryngeal nerves at risk.

Transoral rigid 70-degree laryngoscopy in a pediatric voice clinic

OBJECTIVE

Complaints of dysphonia and dysphagia frequently require rigid or flexible laryngoscopy in the office to aid in diagnosis. For young children, flexible laryngoscopy can be uncomfortable and often requires multiple adults to restrain the child. Rigid laryngoscopy does not result in crying but does require patient cooperation; thus, it is used primarily in adults. This project describes our experience using rigid laryngoscopy in a pediatric cohort.

METHODS

This was a retrospective chart review of patients at a pediatric voice clinic who underwent laryngoscopy from December 2011 through March 2017. Data analysis is via Student t test and descriptive analysis.

RESULTS

Three hundred and eleven patients were identified with 423 unique laryngoscopy exams. Of those, 212 of the exams were flexible and 210 were rigid. One patient did not tolerate either rigid or flexible exam. There was a statistically significant difference in age between children diagnosed via rigid mean 10.92 years (range 2.39-19.14 years) versus flexible mean 6.51 years (range 0.41-19.29 years), P ≤ 0.01. Of the 44 children under 3 years of age, flexible laryngoscopy was used almost exclusively, with 43 of 44 (97.7%) flexible scope exams. Rigid laryngoscopy was performed on 24 of 115 (20.9%) children aged 3 to 5 years, 26 of 40 (65%) aged 6 years, and 159 of 223 (71.3%) aged 7 and older.

CONCLUSION

Transoral 70^o rigid laryngoscopy can be used in select children as young as 3 years of age. This modality allows for improved visualization of lesions with greater comfort for patients. Laryngoscope, 129:1657-1659, 2019.

A Novel Lateral Approach to the Assessment of Vocal Cord Movement by Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND

Ultrasonography is a non-invasive technique that is commonly used by endocrinologists and endocrine surgeons to examine the thyroid region and could be useful for the assessment of vocal cord movement by these specialists. However, previous studies reported a low rate of successful visualization of vocal cord movement by ultrasonography. To address this issue, we devised a novel ultrasonographic procedure for assessing vocal cord movement indirectly by observing the arytenoid movement from a lateral view.

METHODS

Subjects were 188 individuals, including 23 patients with vocal cord paralysis and 13 with vocal cord paresis. We performed ultrasonographic assessment of vocal cord movement using two different procedures: the conventional middle transverse procedure and the novel lateral vertical procedure.

RESULTS

The rate of visualization of vocal cords with the middle transverse procedure was 70.2% and that of the arytenoid cartilage with the lateral vertical procedure was 98.4%. The lateral vertical procedure enabled visualization of all patients with vocal cord paresis/paralysis and detected all 23 patients with vocal paralysis; only one of 13 patients with vocal cord paresis was positively identified. The conventional procedure enabled visualization of 21 of 36 patients with vocal cord paresis/paralysis with high accuracy. There was no false-positive case in either procedure.

CONCLUSION

The proposed lateral vertical procedure improved the rate of visualization of vocal cord movement by ultrasonography, suggesting that it is a useful technique to screen for vocal cord paralysis by ultrasonography.

A Novel Gel Pad Laryngeal Ultrasound for Vocal Cord Evaluation

BACKGROUND

Laryngeal ultrasound (LUS) is a new method for vocal cord evaluation in patients with risk of vocal cord palsy (VCP). However, the previously described LUS reportedly had a high failure rate of vocal cord visualization in male patients. A novel gel pad LUS was devised to overcome the limitations of the previous method.

METHODS

A total of 482 (100 male) consecutive LUS and direct laryngoscopy examinations were performed in thyroidectomy and other neck surgery patients. The conventional LUS and gel pad LUS were used for all patients. Findings were independently cross-validated with direct laryngoscopy.

RESULTS

The conventional LUS and gel pad LUS methods had a 93.4% and 99.0% visualization rate, respectively, with a sensitivity of 98.0% for both methods, and a specificity of 99.7% and 99.8%, respectively. Among the 482 patients, 51 patients had VCP and 91 patients had diffuse thyroid cartilage calcification interrupting LUS.

CONCLUSION

The new gel pad LUS method significantly enhances the visualization of vocal cords in patients who have diffuse thyroid cartilage calcification interrupting LUS and, therefore, the overall efficacy of LUS as a perioperative diagnostic tool for VCP.

Ultrasonography of the larynx for diagnosis of the vocal folds mobility impairment

Purpose. To study a possibility of performance and diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography (US) of a larynx in identification of motility disorders of VF (vocal folds) in comparison with the laryngoscope which is traditionally applied for this purpose.Materials and methods. According to the objectives of the study, two patient groups were formed. In first group of patients (n = 466) we studied acceptability of ultrasonografy to discriminate various laryngeal structures. In second group of patient (n = 432) we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in point of detection of vocal muscles paresis.Results. Laryngeal structures were available to examination by ultrasound (without taking in account age and sex) in 92.7% of patients. Two patterns have been identified in the course of this part of the study: deterioration of visibility of the vocal folds with increasing patient age and better visibility of the vocal folds in women than in men. According to the comparative analysis, ultrasonography accuracy rate (in those patients who had had clearly visible vocal folds during ultrasonography) did not differ from that during videolaryngoscopy.Conclusion. During the conducted research it was found that the US of the larynx is an effective and perspective method for detection of a paresis of VF with sensitivity and specificity 93,55% and 100% respectively. Among those patients who&apos; VF are available to ultrasound evaluation the accuracy of method is comparable with a videolaryngoscopy and can be used with success in daily work of units of endocrine surgery.

Guidelines for the Surgical Management of Laryngeal Cancer: Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery

Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery appointed a Task Force to develop clinical practice guidelines for the surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer. This Task Force conducted a systematic search of the EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed databases to identify relevant articles, using search terms selected according to the key questions. Evidence-based recommendations were then created on the basis of these articles. An external expert review and Delphi questionnaire were applied to reach consensus regarding the recommendations. The resulting guidelines focus on the surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer with the assumption that surgery is the selected treatment modality after a multidisciplinary discussion in any context. These guidelines do not, therefore, address non-surgical treatment such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The committee developed 62 evidence-based recommendations in 32 categories intended to assist clinicians during management of patients with laryngeal cancer and patients with laryngeal cancer, and counselors and health policy-makers.

Lessons Learned After 1000 Cases of Transcutaneous Laryngeal Ultrasound (TLUSG) with Laryngoscopic Validation: Is There a Role of TLUSG in Patients Indicated for Laryngoscopic Examination Before Thyroidectomy?

INTRODUCTION

Patients with hoarseness of voice, previous neck operation, or suspicion of malignancy are at high risk of having pre-thyroidectomy vocal cord (VCP) palsy. Therefore, vocal cord (VC) functions should be evaluated before surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of hoarseness, a voice-related questionnaire (Voice Handicap Index [VHI]-30), and transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasound (TLUSG) in diagnosing VCP, as well as the role of TLUSG in the evaluation of high-risk patients.

METHODS

A total of 1000 patients undergoing thyroidectomy or other endocrine-related neck procedures were prospectively included. Symptoms of hoarseness, the VHI-30 score, and TLUSG were evaluated. Validation laryngoscopies were performed by a separate endoscopist after performing TLUSG. All the assessments were performed one to seven days before surgery. The findings of hoarseness, the VHI-30 score, and TLUSG were correlated with laryngoscopic findings to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy.

RESULTS

Of 1000 patients, nine preoperative VCP were diagnosed with laryngoscopy. Sensitivity in detecting VCP by hoarseness, the VHI-30 score, and TLUSG were 33.3%, 62.5%, and 88.9%, respectively. A total of 342 patients were considered as high risk, and eight preoperative VCP were confirmed with laryngoscopy. Despite it not being possible to visualize the VCs in 26 (7.7%) patients, TLUSG had a higher accuracy in detecting VCP than the VHI-30 did (96.8% vs. 74.2%; p < 0.001). If patients had been selected who were unassessable or who had had VCP on assessment for confirmatory laryngoscopy, TLUSG saved more patients from laryngoscopic examinations than the VHI-30 did (87.7% vs. 71.3%; p < 0.001). A history of neck operation and suspicion of malignancy did not affect the assessment by TLUSG (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

TLUSG is a feasible, non-invasive, and sensitive tool in detecting VCP in high-risk patients. It has safely precluded 87.7% high-risk patients from laryngoscopy. TLUSG should be incorporated as a part of the ultrasound examination of the thyroid.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Leishmaniasis: Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH)

It is important to realize that leishmaniasis guidelines cannot always account for individual variation among patients. They are not intended to supplant physician judgment with respect to particular patients or special clinical situations. The IDSA and ASTMH consider adherence to these guidelines to be voluntary, with the ultimate determinations regarding their application to be made by the physician in the light of each patient's individual circumstances.

[Local anesthesia in the children undergoing the fibroendoscopic study of the nasal cavity, nasopharynx, and larynx: are topical anesthetics needed?]

This prospective randomized study with double blind control was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of various anesthetic techniques employed prior to fibroendoscopy of the nose, nasopharynx, and larynx of the children. The study included 160 children at the age varying from 3 to 14 (mean 7.4±2.96) years randomly allocated to four statistically comparable groups matched for age and sex. The following preparations were used to treat the children prior to fibroendoscopy: physiological solution (group 1), a 0.05% xylometazoline solution (group 2), a 10% lidocaine solution (group 3), and a mixture of 0.05% xylometazoline and 10% lidocaine solutions (group 4). The evaluation of the tolerance to the pretreatment of the nasal cavity with lidocaine and lidocaine plus xylometazoline (groups 3 and 4) showed that it was significantly (p<0.05) worse than in groups 1 and 2. The subjective tolerance to fibroendoscopy as reported by the patients was on the average similar in the children of all four groups (p>0.05). The doctors found the tolerance of fibroendoscopy to be the worst following pretreatment with the physiological solution (group 1) and the best after pretreatment with a mixture of lidocaine and xylometazoline (group 4) (p=0.03). The children comprising groups 2 and 3 were not significantly different in terms of the tolerance to fibroendoscopy (p>0.05). It is concluded that the pretreatment of the nasal cavity of the children with a 10% lidocaine solution before fibroendoscopy has no advantage over the pretreatment with a 0.05% xylometazoline solution; at the same time, insuflation of lidocaine as an anesthetic induces more pronounced negative emotions compared with the application of 0.05% xylometazoline.

Iatrogenic phenol injury: a case report and review of medication safety and labeling practices with flexible laryngoscopy

Medication errors can be reduced by following standards in patient identification and medication labeling. We present an investigation of a life-threatening event from medication error: A newborn that received intranasal phenol instead of topical anesthetic prior to flexible laryngoscopy. The patient required urgent intubation for respiratory distress and suffered chemical burns of the face, neck, and upper aerodigestive tract. The hospital course was prolonged and included intensive care, delayed oral feeding with enteral support, and the need for several endoscopies. Current standards of medication labeling are reviewed as well as evidence for and against using topical agents for flexible laryngoscopy.

The effect of endoscopic sheaths on visualization in distal chip and fiberoptic laryngoscopy

Endoscopic sheaths covering the laryngoscope are advised to prevent cross contamination, but might hamper visualization as the most important tool in the diagnostic approach of laryngeal disease. We evaluated whether endoscopic sheaths change image quality and diagnostic accuracy of flexible distal chip laryngoscopy (DCL) and flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy (FOL). Twelve healthy volunteers underwent a flexible laryngoscopy using a distal chip and a fiberoptic laryngoscope with and without endoscopic sheaths, and in this way 48 images were collected. To determine diagnostic accuracy, the 48 images were mixed with images of 40 patients. All images were randomly shown to four experts in the field of laryngology and head and neck oncology. Observers were asked to validate image quality, choose a diagnosis, and express their confidence level of that diagnosis. Image quality was validated better in DCL as compared to FOL (p < 0.05) both with or without endoscopic sheaths. Endoscopic sheaths worsened image quality in DCL (p < 0.05) but not in FOL. No differences were observed between DCL and FOL with or without endoscopic sheaths in diagnostic accuracy (79-89%). Confidence levels (7.7-8.1) were comparable in DCL and FOL and not influenced by endoscopic sheaths. Image quality in DCL is superior to FOL, but significantly hampered by the use of endoscopic sheaths. In FOL the image quality is already low and not further diminished by endoscopic sheaths.

Distal chip versus fiberoptic laryngoscopy using endoscopic sheaths: diagnostic accuracy and image quality

Laryngeal visualization is the hallmark in the diagnostic approach of laryngeal disease. In addition to fiberoptic techniques, digital distal chip technology has been developed to improve visualization. Endoscopic sheaths are used in daily clinical practice to prevent cross-contamination. The objective of the study was to evaluate diagnostic accuracy, image quality and interrater reliability of both flexible distal chip laryngoscopy (DCL) and flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy (FOL) using contamination preventing endoscopic sheaths. In 53 cases both DCL and FOL images were collected during routine examination using endoscopic sheaths. All images were randomly shown to four experts in the field of laryngology and head and neck oncology. Observers were asked to choose a diagnosis, express their confidence level of that diagnosis and validate image quality: in this way 420 observations (four observers using two techniques) were analyzed. Accuracy in detecting laryngeal disease was 78 % (both DCL and FOL). Confidence level of diagnosis tended to be higher in DCL (p = 0.05). Image quality was validated better in DCL as compared to FOL (p < 0.05). Interrater agreement in identifying laryngeal disease was 1.5 times higher in DCL (κ = 0.44) as compared to FOL (κ = 0.29). In this study, reflecting daily clinical setting using sheathed endoscopes, DCL is identical to FOL regarding diagnostic accuracy, but DCL is superior to FOL in image quality and interrater reliability.

Patient-related and ENT-related predictive factors based on the pain experienced during flexible nasendoscopy

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS

The objective was to explore the role of specific patient-related and operator-related factors in pain perception during flexible laryngoscopy, which is one of the most common ENT procedures.

STUDY DESIGN

Monocentric, randomized, individual prospective study.

METHODS

A total of 532 patients (145 men and 387 women), without any relevant ENT diseases, underwent laryngoscopy performed by otolaryngologists with various degrees of experience. Patient discomfort was reported using visual analog scores, and willingness to repeat the experience was also recorded.

RESULTS

Statistical analysis showed that greater pain was significantly associated with female patients and female otolaryngologists, whereas the pain was less severe in the cases of experienced laryngologists and older patients. Pain plays an important role in determining the willingness to repeat the examination; in fact, patients who experienced lower levels of pain during laryngoscopy were more prone to repeat the experience.

CONCLUSION

This article explores the importance of the extrinsic factors that are related to the patient and the otolaryngologist in determining the level of pain associated with laryngoscopy. Our study indicated that laryngoscopy is generally a well-tolerated procedure, causing little overall discomfort, but that a subgroup of patients may experience more pain than others, which may affect the patient's perspective toward undergoing a similar future experience. Our analysis may be helpful for clinicians in understanding pain perception during a routine procedure, enabling them to focus more on that subgroup of patients who are more prone to pain.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

1b.