Summary
Objective
To observe the laryngeal CT and strobe laryngoscopy signs of unilateral vocal fold
hypomobility (UVFHM) in patients with well-closed glottises in the horizontal plane.
Methods
A retrospective analysis was performed on 18 subjects with well-closed glottises in
the horizontal plane using strobe laryngoscopy, 9 patients diagnosed with unilateral
vocal fold hypomobility with an unknown etiology were enrolled in the UVFHM group,
and 9 healthy matched subjects with symmetrical bilateral vocal fold movement were
enrolled in the control group. Vertical plane distances of bilateral vocal folds and
three-dimensional structural parameters of vocal folds were measured through laryngeal
CT. Glottic insufficiency in the vertical plane and reflux findings scores (RFS) were
assessed under laryngeal CT and strobe laryngoscopy. Reflux symptom index (RSI) were
collected. SPSS25.0 software was used for statistical analysis.
Results
The height differences in vertical plane and thicknesses of bilateral vocal folds
in the UVFHM group were larger than those in the control (P < 0.05), while the length, width and subglottic convergence angle of the vocal folds
were not statistically significant between the two groups (P > 0.05). In the UVFHM group, laryngeal CT showed that 77.78% of patients (7/9) had
glottic insufficiency in the vertical plane, with height differences ranging from
0.3 to 1.9 mm and a mean of 0.76mm. However, strobe laryngoscopy showed that 33.33%
(3/9) had glottic insufficiency in the vertical plane. The proportion of patients
with glottic insufficiency in vertical plane in the UVFHM group was significantly
higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). RSI and RFS scores of the UVFHM group were higher than those of the control
group (P < 0.05).
Conclusion
Glottic insufficiency in the vertical plane often occurred in patients with UVFHM
with an unknown cause of hoarseness, so the presence of glottic insufficiency in the
vertical plane should be considered when hoarseness is detected by clinicians. Laryngeal
dynamic CT can enhance the diagnostic rate compared to strobe laryngoscopy. Unexplained
UVFHM patients have higher RSI and RFS compared to control subjects, warranting further
research about the relationship between UVFHM and laryngopharyngeal reflux.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 22, 2022
Accepted:
March 25,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofFootnotes
Funding: This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Fund (No. 82000970) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81970871).
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
