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Journal of Voice : Official Journal of... Dec 2022While Autoimmune Associated Vocal Fold Lesions (AaVFLs) have been described in many reports, there is no consensus on best practices in management. The purpose of this... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
While Autoimmune Associated Vocal Fold Lesions (AaVFLs) have been described in many reports, there is no consensus on best practices in management. The purpose of this systematic review is to clarify the characteristics and treatment of dysphonia in the setting of AaVFLs.
STUDY DESIGN
Systematic review METHODS: Pubmed and OVIDMedline and Google Scholar were searched, including terms related to (1) Vocal fold/cord, rheumatoid node/nodule, bamboo nodes/nodules, laryngeal deposits/nodes/nodules and (2) Autoimmune diseases/syndromes, connective tissue disease.
RESULTS
Twenty-one studies with 83 patients diagnosed with AaVFLs were included. AaVFLs occurred predominantly in females in the 4th or 5th decade of life, with an overall mean age of 39.8 (SD = 12.8). Autoimmune or connective tissue disease was established prior to presentation to an otolaryngologist in 75.9% (44/58) of patients. Bilateral lesions were present in 83.8% (57/68) of patients. Treatment modalities included medical therapy alone (28.1%), voice therapy alone (17.5%), surgical treatment alone (7.0%), combination of medical and voice therapy (33.3%), and combination of surgical, medical and voice therapy (7.0%). All patients treated with voice therapy had voice improvement; lower rates were seen with solo medical (4/14 improved, 28.6%) or surgical therapy (3/6 improved, 50%).
CONCLUSION
AaVFLs occur predominantly in women in their 30's to 50's and are associated with a variety of autoimmune conditions. A significant number of patients (25%) present to the Otolaryngologist without an established autoimmune diagnosis. While treatment outcomes are not robustly reported, a significant number of patients with AAVFLs treated with voice therapy alone or voice therapy in combination with other treatment modalities (medical or surgical) experience subjective improvement in voice quality and function.
PubMed: 36543608
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2022.12.002 -
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine : a... Oct 2021Laryngeal ultrasound is a nonirradiating, noninvasive method for assessing the upper airway in children. This systematic review and meta-analysis examine available... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVES
Laryngeal ultrasound is a nonirradiating, noninvasive method for assessing the upper airway in children. This systematic review and meta-analysis examine available evidence for accuracy of laryngeal ultrasound in diagnosing vocal cord immobility in infants and children after surgery and trauma affecting the vocal cords.
DESIGN
Medical subject heading terms were used to search MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for relevant citations. Publications from January 1, 2000, to June 30, 2020 were included in the search strategy. Study inclusion criteria consisted of randomized control trials and nonrandomized retrospective or prospective observational studies where vocal cord motion was evaluated by laryngeal ultrasound and compared with a reference test. Studies were excluded if there was insufficient data to compute a sensitivity/specificity table. Case reports, case series less than 10, and manuscripts not published in English were also excluded.
PATIENTS
Studies which included subjects younger than or equal to 18 years were considered for full article review.
SETTINGS
No restrictions on study settings were imposed in this systematic review.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
The initial search returned 1,357 citations. After de-duplication, abstract, and full review, eight citations were included in the final meta-analysis. A bivariate random-effects meta-analysis was performed, which revealed a pooled sensitivity for laryngeal ultrasound in detecting vocal cord immobility of 91% (95% CI, 83-95%), specificity of 97% (95% CI, 82-100%), diagnostic odds ratio 333.56 (95% CI, 34.00-3,248.71), positive likelihood ratio 31.58 (95% CI, 4.50-222.05), and negative likelihood ratio 0.09 (95% CI, 0.05-0.19).
CONCLUSIONS
Laryngeal ultrasound demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity for detecting vocal cord motion in children in a wide range of clinical settings. Laryngeal ultrasound offers a low-risk imaging option for assessing vocal cord function in children compared with the current gold standard of laryngoscopy.
Topics: Child; Humans; Infant; Laryngoscopy; Larynx; Observational Studies as Topic; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Retrospective Studies; Ultrasonography; Vocal Cords
PubMed: 33833204
DOI: 10.1097/PCC.0000000000002734 -
Life (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is the structure responsible for sensory and motor innervation of the larynx, and it has been shown that its lesion due to a lack of... (Review)
Review
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Variants and Their Implication in Surgery and Neck Pathologies, Using the Anatomical Quality Assurance (AQUA) Checklist.
INTRODUCTION
The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is the structure responsible for sensory and motor innervation of the larynx, and it has been shown that its lesion due to a lack of surgical rigor led to alterations such as respiratory obstruction due to vocal cords paralysis and permanent phonation impairment. The objectives of this review were to know the variants of the RLN and its clinical relevance in the neck region.
METHODS
This review considered specific scientific articles that were written in Spanish or English and published between 1960 and 2022. A systematic search was carried out in the electronic databases MEDLINE, WOS, CINAHL, SCOPUS, SCIELO, and Latin American and Caribbean Center for Information on Health Sciences to compile the available literature on the subject to be treated and was enrolled in PROSPERO. The included articles were studies that had a sample of RLN dissections or imaging, intervention group to look for RLN variants, or the comparison of the non-recurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) variants, and finally, its clinical correlations. Review articles and letters to the editor were excluded. All included articles were evaluated through quality assessment and risk of bias analysis using the methodological quality assurance tool for anatomical studies (AQUA). The extracted data in the meta-analysis were interpreted to calculate the prevalence of the RLN variants and their comparison and the relationship between the RLN and NRLN. The heterogeneity degree between included studies was assessed.
RESULTS
The included studies that showed variants of the RLN included in this review were 41, a total of 29,218. For the statistical analysis of the prevalence of the RLN variant, a forest plot was performed with 15 studies that met the condition of having a prevalence of less than 100%. As a result, the prevalence was shown to be 12% (95% CI, SD 0.11 to 0.14). Limitations that were present in this review were the publication bias of the included studies, the probability of not having carried out the most sensitive and specific search, and finally, the authors' personal inclinations in selecting the articles.
DISCUSSION
This meta-analysis can be considered based on an update of the prevalence of RLN variants, in addition to considering that the results show some clinical correlations such as intra-surgical complications and with some pathologies and aspects function of the vocal cords, which could be a guideline in management prior to surgery or of interest for the diagnostic.
PubMed: 37240722
DOI: 10.3390/life13051077 -
The Laryngoscope Apr 2022Vocal fold sulcus and scars are benign vocal fold lesions that present as a challenge to the laryngologist. A number of different surgical techniques have been proposed,... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS
Vocal fold sulcus and scars are benign vocal fold lesions that present as a challenge to the laryngologist. A number of different surgical techniques have been proposed, aiming at restoring the lamina propria (LP), closing the glottal gap, or both. This study aimed to provide a systematic review of surgical treatment for sulcus and scar and to propose a new classification for these techniques.
STUDY DESIGN
A literature search using MEDLINE and Google Scholar through August 2020.
METHODS
Data on study design were retrieved and outcomes were classified as acoustic, aerodynamic, self-reported, perceptual, and stroboscopic. Methodological quality was assessed using the MINORs criteria. Each technique was classified as direct, indirect, or combined.
RESULTS
Our search included 31 studies with a total of 617 patients. Direct techniques included dissection, graft interposition, or LP regeneration/scar degradation while indirect techniques aimed for glottal gap closure. Only one article performed a comparison between different types of techniques and only eight studied the five types of outcomes. No superiority of any technique was noted in our analysis. Self-reported outcomes were the most frequently improved.
CONCLUSIONS
There seems to not exist a one-fits-all treatment for this clinical picture and no clear decision-making pattern. A recent trend toward sequential approaches, starting with less invasive procedures, can be observed. Laryngoscope, 132:822-830, 2022.
Topics: Acoustics; Cicatrix; Humans; Laryngeal Muscles; Stroboscopy; Vocal Cords
PubMed: 34057225
DOI: 10.1002/lary.29665 -
Laryngoscope Investigative... Apr 2023To explore whether narrow-band imaging (NBI) endoscopy is accurate in the diagnosis of malignant transformation of vocal cord leukoplakia. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To explore whether narrow-band imaging (NBI) endoscopy is accurate in the diagnosis of malignant transformation of vocal cord leukoplakia.
METHODS
The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases were searched to collect data on studies reporting the use of NBI endoscopy as a diagnostic test for diagnosing vocal cord leukoplakia from January 2015 to December 2021. Study design, analysis method, and extraction results were performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. The sensitivity, specificity, pooled positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) and area under the curve (AUC) were used to summarize the performance metrics of the meta-analysis. Risk of bias data and the quality of the included studies was evaluated according to the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool (QUADAS-2).
RESULTS
Nine studies were finally included in the analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the pooled sensitivity and specificity of NBI endoscopy for diagnosing leukoplakia lesions were 0.76 (95% CI: 0.72-0.8) and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.91-0.95), respectively. The PLR and NLR were 10.09 (95% CI: 6.53-15.59) and 0.22 (95% CI: 0.13-0.38), respectively. The comprehensive diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was 54.96 (95% CI: 24.32-124.17), and the area under the curve was 0.9584. The eight articles had a low risk of bias risk and one article was unclear.
CONCLUSION
NBI likely has good accuracy for diagnosing malignant transformation of vocal cord leukoplakia. However, multicenter studies and large samples are still needed.
PubMed: 37090880
DOI: 10.1002/lio2.1049 -
Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine :... Aug 2022Laryngeal ultrasound (US) is becoming widely accepted for assessing true vocal fold immobility (TVFI), a potential complication of laryngeal and thyroid surgery. The... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Laryngeal ultrasound (US) is becoming widely accepted for assessing true vocal fold immobility (TVFI), a potential complication of laryngeal and thyroid surgery. The objective of this project is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of pooled evidence surrounding laryngeal US as a modality for diagnosing TVFI in adults at risk for the condition in comparison to laryngoscopy as a gold standard. Medical subject heading terms were used to search MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for relevant citations from January 1, 2000, to June 30, 2020. Studies were included if they involved patients 16 years and older, where laryngeal US was compared to laryngoscopy for TVFI. Studies were excluded if there were insufficient data to compute a sensitivity/specificity table after attempting to contact the authors. Case reports, and case series were also excluded. The initial search returned 1357 citations. Of these, 109 were selected for review utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Thirty citations describing 6033 patients were included in the final meta-analysis. A bivariate random effects meta-analysis was performed, revealing a pooled sensitivity for laryngeal US of 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.88-0.98), a specificity of 0.99 (95% CI 0.97-0.99), and a diagnostic odds ratio of 1328.2 (95% CI 294.0-5996.5). The area under the curve of the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.99 (95% CI 0.98-1.00). Laryngeal US demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity for detecting VFI in the hands of clinicians directly providing care to patients.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Laryngoscopy; Sensitivity and Specificity; Ultrasonography; Vocal Cords
PubMed: 34837415
DOI: 10.1002/jum.15884 -
Otolaryngology--head and Neck Surgery :... Mar 2024To review the current literature about epidemiology, etiologies and surgical management of bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP). (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To review the current literature about epidemiology, etiologies and surgical management of bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP).
DATA SOURCES
PubMED, Scopus, and Cochrane Library.
REVIEW METHODS
A systematic review of the literature on epidemiology, etiologies, and management of adult patients with BVFP was conducted through preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses statements by 2 investigators.
RESULTS
Of the 360 identified papers, 245 were screened, and of these 55 were considered for review. The majority (76.6%) of BVFP cases are iatrogenic. BVFP requires immediate tracheotomy in 36.2% of cases. Laterofixation of the vocal fold was described in 9 studies and is a cost-effective alternative procedure to tracheotomy while awaiting potential recovery. Unilateral and bilateral posterior transverse cordotomy outcomes were reported in 9 and 7 studies, respectively. Both approaches are associated with a 95.1% decannulation rate, adequate airway volume, but voice quality worsening. Unilateral/bilateral partial arytenoidectomy data were described in 4 studies, which reported lower decannulation rate (83%) and better voice quality outcome than cordotomy. Revision rates and complications vary across studies, with complications mainly involving edema, granuloma, fibrosis, and scarring. Selective posterior cricoarytenoid reinnervation is being performed by more surgeons and should be a promising addition to the BVFP surgical armamentarium.
CONCLUSION
Depending on techniques, the management of BVFP may be associated with several degrees of airway improvements while worsened or unchanged voice quality. The heterogeneity between studies, the lack of large-cohort controlled randomized studies and the confusion with posterior glottic stenosis limit the draw of clear conclusion about the superiority of some techniques over others.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Vocal Cords; Treatment Outcome; Vocal Cord Paralysis; Voice Quality; Tracheotomy
PubMed: 38123531
DOI: 10.1002/ohn.616 -
Ear, Nose, & Throat Journal Nov 2022Leukoplakia is a precancerous lesion considered to be within the spectrum of histopathological results from parakeratosis, through stages of dysplasia to invasive... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Leukoplakia is a precancerous lesion considered to be within the spectrum of histopathological results from parakeratosis, through stages of dysplasia to invasive cancer. Narrow band imaging (NBI) endoscopy has been introduced to improve early diagnosis of benign and malignant laryngeal lesions. The aim of this literature review was to evaluate the accuracy of preoperative evaluation of vocal fold leukoplakia with NBI endoscopy in comparison with histology.
METHODS
A systematic review of the literature was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, using 3 different databases: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. The included articles in the systematic review were identified combining each of the following terms: "narrow band imaging" OR "NBI," [AND] with each of these terms: "laryngeal leukoplakia," OR "vocal fold leukoplakia," OR "vocal cord leukoplakia."
RESULTS
The articles that fully met the inclusion criteria were 5 case series, conducted between January 2010 and February 2018, and published between 2017 and 2019. The selected articles included 312 patients (86% males and 14% females), affected by 382 vocal cord leukoplakia, evaluated with NBI endoscopy and that underwent surgical microlaryngoscopy with biopsy. Based on the studies included in the review, accuracy of NBI in predicting malignancy within leukoplakia ranged from 81% to 97.8%, demonstrating to be an accurate method to predict the risk of malignant transformation of vocal fold leukoplakia.
CONCLUSION
Narrow band imaging can help otolaryngologists in the decision-making process on the necessity to perform a biopsy and transoral surgery or long-term follow-up. Larger studies are necessary to confirm the high association of NBI evaluation of the epithelium surrounding the leukoplakia with the histological diagnosis.
Topics: Endoscopy; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; Female; Humans; Laryngeal Neoplasms; Leukoplakia; Male; Narrow Band Imaging; Vocal Cords
PubMed: 33213196
DOI: 10.1177/0145561320973770 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Nov 2021Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is an important complication following thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Recently, Transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasound (TLUSG) has... (Review)
Review
Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is an important complication following thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Recently, Transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasound (TLUSG) has emerged as a non-invasive alternative to laryngoscopic examination for vocal cord (VC) assessment. The aim of the systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine its diagnostic accuracy in reference to laryngoscopy. It was conducted in accordance with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane library and Web of Science databases were searched to identify relevant articles. Sixteen studies were included in the review. Pooled diagnostic accuracy was calculated based on weighted arithmetic mean and plotting forest plot. The pooled visualization rate was 86.28% and 94.13% preoperatively and postoperatively, respectively. The respective pooled sensitivity and specificity was 78.48% and 98.28%, and 83.96% (CI 95%: 77.24-88.50%) and 96.15% (CI 95%: 95.24-96.88%). The diagnostic accuracy improved if transverse and lateral approaches, and valsalva maneuver were utilized. Male gender and older age were the most crucial risk factors for VC non-visualization. TLUSG is an efficacious screening tool for vocal cord palsy due to its high sensitivity. It is likely to prevent unnecessary laryngoscopic examination in around 80% of patients, with the potential for becoming a gold standard for specific (female/young) patient cohort through assimilative modifications use, increasing expertise and development of objective measurements in the future.
PubMed: 34830675
DOI: 10.3390/jcm10225393 -
World Journal of Surgery Nov 2021Objective This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracies of various forms of intraoperative neural monitoring (IONM) in terms of predicting vocal cord palsy after... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Objective This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracies of various forms of intraoperative neural monitoring (IONM) in terms of predicting vocal cord palsy after thyroidectomy. Methods Two authors independently reviewed the six databases (PubMed, the Cochrane database, Embase, the Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar) from their dates of inception to March 2021. Intraoperative electromyographic neuromonitoring (IONM) was compared with laryngoscopic detection (the reference method). True-positive, true-negative, false-positive, and false-negative data were extracted from each study. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies ver. 2 tool. Results Twenty-seven prospective or retrospective studies were included. The diagnostic odds ratio for IONM was 152.9623 ([95% confidence interval [75.4249; 310.2085]. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.966. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value were 0.8219 ([0.6862; 0.9069]), 0.9783 ([0.9659; 0.9863]), 0.9943 ([0.9880; 0.9973]), and 0.5523 ([0.4458; 0.6542]), respectively. The correlation between sensitivity and false-positive rate was 0.200, indicating the absence of heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis showed that the diagnostic accuracies of the continuous IONM was higher than those of intermittent IONM, and recent publications (> 2011) was higher than early publication (< 2010). Conclusions As the technology and knowledge of IONM have been accumulated and progressed over the past decades, the predictive value of IONM in postoperative vocal cord palsy has also improved. Moreover, the advances of continuous IONM technology could make a breakthrough in vocal cord evaluation after thyroid surgery.
Topics: Humans; Prospective Studies; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries; Retrospective Studies; Thyroid Gland; Thyroidectomy; Vocal Cords
PubMed: 34191086
DOI: 10.1007/s00268-021-06225-x