Benign Pathology, Functional Disorders, Stenosis Flashcards
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√What is the differential diagnosis of benign vocal fold lesions? Name 12
- Vocal fold polyp (most common) - mucoid or angiomatous
- Vocal fold Nodules (bilateral)
- VF Cyst (mucous retention or epithelial inclusion)
- Pseudocyst (no capsule)/fibrous mass
- Polypoid degeneration/Reinke’s edema
- Granuloma
- Sulcus vocalis
- Papilloma
- Lymphatic/vascular malformations
- Granular cell tumor (posterior VC)
- Schwannoma
- Chondroma - posterior cricoid
- Sarcoid
- Amyloid
- Hemangioma/lymphatic malformation
- Paraganglioma
What is the most common cause of viral laryngitis?
Rhinovirus
- 30-60% of acute, infectious, laryngopharyngitis in adults is due to self-limiting viral infections as part of the common cold.
- Rhinovirus is the most common cause of a cold.
Other possible causes:
1. Influenzae
2. Parainfluenza
Most common cause of bacterial laryngitis in an adult?
- Hemophilus influenza
- Strep pyogenes (GAS)
- Staph Aureus
Regarding Laryngeal Diphtheria, discuss:
1. What is it?
2. Causes?
3. Findings/symptoms? 5
4. Treatment? 5
LARYNGEAL DIPHTHERIA:
- Inflammatory reaction with vascular dilation
CAUSES:
1. Corynebacterium diphtheriae (gram positive pleomorphic aerobic bacillus)
FINDINGS:
1. Exudative membranous tonsillitis
2. Fever
3. Dysphonia
4. Myocarditis (diphtheria exotoxin)
5. Neurologic sequelae (caused by diphtheria exotoxin)
TREATMENT:
1. Tracheostomy (not intubation - could dislodge exudate)
2. Anti-toxin
3. High dose penicillin
4. Erythromycin
5. Tetracycline
What is a turban shaped epiglottis associated with? 2
- Sarcoidosis
- Tuberculosis
Kevan Page 16
Describe the 5 histopathologic features of sarcoidosis
PLANS mnemonic:
- P = PAS+ (Periodic Acid Schiff) inclusions
- L = Langhans giant cells
- A = Asteroid bodies (small, intracytoplasmic eosinophilic star shaped structures)
- N = Non-caseating granulomas
- S = Schaumann bodies (calcium and protein inclusions include of Langhans giant cells as part of granuloma)
https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/skinnontumorsarcoidosis.html
What are 10 granulomatous diseases of the larynx that may simulate cancer?
- Tuberculosis (most common)
- Pachydermia laryngitis
- Coccidiomycosis
- Histoplasmosis
- Blastomycosis
- Rhinoscleroma
- Leprosy (supraglottic coalescent nodules)
- Syphillis (secondary - raised grey plaque)
- Sarcoidosis (turban epiglottis)
- GPA
A patient presents with laryngitis. What features may suggest a neurologic cause? List 13 different clinical features, and 5 different examination findings.
Speech problems:
1. Asthenia
2. Breathiness
3. Pitch instability
4. Lack of vocal inflection
5. Abnormal resonance
6. Dysarthria
(Think about all the SLN problems)
Swallowing problems:
1. Oral incompetence
2. VPI
3. Instability to initiate swallow
4. Aspiration
Breathing abnormalities:
1. Fluctuanting inspiratory stridor
2. Weak, breathy cough
3. Gurgly breathing noises
Examination findings:
1. Tremor (facial, blepharospasm, resting tremor)
2. Muscle wasting
3. Fasciculations (e.g. tongue fasciculations)
4. Focal neurologic deficits (e.g. in MS)
5. Ptosis (e.g. MG)
List 4 common focal dystonias affecting the head and neck
- Spasmodic dysphonia = larynx
- Blepharospasm = forced involuntary eye closure
- Torticollis = neck
- Oromandibular = face/jaw/tongue
NOT IN VANCOUVER
Define Dystonia. How are they classified and what are the subdivisions of the classification?
Dystonia = Disorder resulting in sustained involuntary skeletal muscle contractions, which can cause twisting, repetitive movement, or abnormal posture. Thought to be due to a lesion in the basal ganglia.
PRIMARY DYSTONIA = Normal at Rest, action induced
SECONDARY DYSTONIA = Fixed Dystonia
Classified across 2 axes:
1. Axis 1 = clinical features
2. Axis 2 = etiology
Axis 1 Clinical Features Dimensions of Classification:
1. Age at onset
a/ Infancy (birth to 2 years)
b/ Childhood (3-12 years)
c/ Adolescence (13-20 years)
d/ Early adulthood (21-39 years)
e/ Later adulthood (40 years and older)
- Body distribution
a/ Focal (one body part)
b/ Segmental (2 or more contiguous body parts)
c/ Multifocal (2 or more non-contiguous body parts)
d/ Generalized (involving trunk and at least 2 other sites, divided into 2 subtypes “with leg involvement - ambulatory” or “without leg involvement - non-ambulatory”)
e/ Hemidystonia (half of the body) - Temporal pattern
a/ Disease course (static vs. progressive)
b/ Short term variation (e.g. persistent, action specific, diurnal, or paroxysmal) - Associated features
a/ Isolated (with or without tremor)
b/ Combined (with other neurologic or systemic features)
Axis 2 Etiology Dimension for Classification:
1. Nervous system pathology
a/ Degenerative
b/ Structural (e.g. focal static lesions)
c/ No degenerative or structural pathology)
- Heritability
a/ Inherited (e.g. sex linked, autosomal dominant or recessive, or mitochondrial)
b/ Acquired (e.g. brain injury, drugs/toxins, vascular, or neoplastic) - Idiopathic
a/ Sporadic
b/ Familial (usually autosomal dominant)
What is Meige’s Syndrome?
Syndrome that is a combination of 2 types of dystonia:
1. Blepharospasm
2. Oromandibular dystonia
Also known as craniocervical dystonia
May also present with torticollis and spasmodic dysphonia
Name 9 hyperfunctional laryngeal disorders
- Laryngeal Dystonia
a/ Abductor spasmodic dysphonia
b/ Adductor spasmodic dysphonia
c/ Mixed laryngeal dystonia
d/ Adductor breathing dystonia
e/ Singer’s laryngeal dystonia - Muscle Tension Dysphonia
- Essential Tremor
- Myoclonus (oculopalatolaryngopharyngeal myoclonus)
- Pseudobulbar Palsy
- Stuttering
- Tic (Tourette’s)
- Functional Dysphonia/aphonia
- Paradoxical movement of the vocal folds
What causes pseudobulbar palsy?
What are the common features - 5
How does it differentiate with other types of dystonia? 4
PBP is caused by bilateral lesions of the corticobulbar tract
Features: Muscle spasticity, hyperreflexia of the pharynx, palate, lips, tongue, larynx
Differentiating features: Hypernasality, slow/labored articulation, emotional lability, cognitive impairment
List 5 hypofunctional laryngeal disorders and a classification system for them
Think based on Localization:
1. Central (brain)
2. Brainstem
3. Spinal cord
4. Anterior horn cells
5. Roots
6. Peripheral nerve
7. Neuromuscular junction
8. Muscle
9. Other
Central:
1. Arnold Chiari Malformation
2. Stroke
3. Multiple Sclerosis
4. Parkinson’s Disease
5. Parkinson-Plus Syndromes
Brainstem:
1. Arnold Chiara Malformation
2. ALS (degeneration of both UMN and LMNs)
3. Medullary strokes (e.g. Wallenberg aka. Lateral Medullary Syndrome)
Peripheral Nerve:
1. Vocal fold paralysis
Neuromuscular Junction:
1. Myasthenia Gravis
2. Lambert-Eaton Syndrome
Muscle:
1. Myopathies
2. Muscular dystrohpies
Other:
1. Psychogenic / Malingering
2. Post-polio syndrome
What is the difference between the pathophysiology of Myasthenia Gravis and Lambert-Eaton Syndrome? How can you differentiate them on assessment of dysphonia?
Myasthenia Gravis: Antibodies against Acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction lead to LMN weakness which worsens with prolonged use. Can be tested with the tensilon (acetylcholinesterase inhibitor challenge) which results in immediate symptom reversal
Lambert-Eaton Syndrome: Antibodies target voltage gated calcium channels at presynaptic nerve terminals leading to a decrease in the release of Ach. These will not have a good response to the Tensilon challenge (because overall have less ACh released in the first place)
What is the cause of Parkinson’s disease? 2
What are the general requirements for diagnosis? 3
What are the clinical symptoms? 4
How can the voice be managed? 1
Extrapyramidal syndrome caused by cell death in the substantia nigra and degradation of dopaminergic neurons of the basal ganglia
Criteria diagnosis require that a patient be first diagnosed with Parkinsonisms, which is defined as bradykinesia + resting tremor OR rigidity
Following those criteria, the diagnosis needs to meet further strict criteria.
Clinical Symptoms:
1. Tremor
2. Rigidity
3. Akinesia
4. Reductino or loss of movement and postural changes
Plus low concentration of dopamine in the basal ganglia
TREATMENT:
1. Lee-Silverman voice training
What are the 3 main problems in Parkinson’s voice?
What are the perceptual voice abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease? 6
THREE PROBLEMS IN PARKINSON’S ARE:
1. Decreased vocal drive
2. Poor self-perception
3. Inability to regulate output
Others:
1. Rough
2. Breathy
3. Unstable (Tremulous)
4. Reduced vocal intensity
5. Lower variation of fundamental frequency
6. Decreased speech speed
What are two different types of Parkinson-Plus Syndromes? Describe them. What are some airway considerations for management of these patients?
Parkinson Plus Syndrome = PD + other features
Types:
1. Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
2. Multiple System Atrophy
Multiple System Atrophy: aka. Shy-Drager Syndrome
Parkinsonism with autonomic dysfunction:
- Orthostatic hypotension
- Urinary and/or fecal incontinence
Vocal fold paralysis in a patient with parkinsonism is highly suggestive of MSA. Trach may be necessary if within goals of care
What are bamboo nodes?
Inflammatory laryngeal nodules associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
Kevan page 19
List 5 different laryngeal manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis
- Mucosal edema/hyperemia
- Arytenoid swelling
- Cricoarytenoid joint ankylosis
- Vocal fold immobility
- Bamboo nodules
What are the two types of muscle tension dysphonia according to ASHA classification manual for voice disorders?
- Primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia
- Dysphonia in the absence of current organic vocal fold pathology
- Possible triggers include illness, allergies, reflux, irritants, anxiety, emotional trigger, or increased vocal demand - Secondary Muscle Tension Dysphonia
- Dysphonia in the presence of current organic vocal fold pathology, psychogenic, or neurologic etiology, originating as a compensatory response to the primary etiology
What is the typical clinical presentation of Muscle Tension Dysphonia? What are the risk factors, list 4?
- F>M 2:1
- Associated with professional voice use
- Associated with stress/anxiety
- Will often have a preceding trigger (e.g. URTI, laryngitis)
Symptoms:
- Dysphonia with neck and shoulder tension, increasing over time
Describe in detail the two types of classification systems of types of muscle tension dysphonia.
Morrison-Rammage Classification (1993)
1. Type 1: Laryngeal isometric = posterior glottal gap
2. Type 2: Laryngeal hyperadduction states
2a/ Glottic hyperadduction
2b/ Supraglottic hyperadduction
3. Type 3: Supraglottic AP contraction
4. Type 4: Conversion Aphonia = the vocal folds have full movement and can adduct normally for cough, but they stop short of sufficient adduction for voicing with an attempt to speak. Will also have generalized laryngeal hypertonicity
5. Type 5: Psychogenic Bowing = bowed vocal folds outside the context of vocal fold atrophy
6. Type 6: Adolescent Transitional Dysphonia = aka. Puberphonia (seen in adolescents trying to maintain vocal pitch during puberty)
Koufman-Blalock Classification
1. Type 1: Persistent posterior glottic gap during phonation;; increase muscular tension (e.g. elevated larynx, palpable neck tension/tender, breathy or strident voice, ± VF nodules)
2. Type 2: Medial compression of the false vocal folds during phonation;; (most severe = plica ventricularis where false folds are used for phonation)
3. Type 3: Anteroposterior supraglottic contraction;; (epiglottis and arytenoids may obscure at least 50% of laryngeal aditus)
4. Type 4: Complete supraglottic sphincteric closure (epiglottis/arytenoids contact, with lateral constriction)
Note: If the glottis is difficult to see, ask the patient to inhale and this will decrease the anterior-posterior compression
List 6 options for the treatment of muscle tension dysphonia?
- Voice hygiene (avoid yelling, speaking in noisy environments, throat clearing, limiting use of alcohol and caffeine and smoking)
- Voice therapy with SLP
- Circumlaryngeal massage
- Treat GERD if concomitant
- In refractory cases, topical lidocaine or botox
- Biofeedback
- Secondary MTD: Treat the underlying cause
How do you clinically differentiate muscle tension dysphonia from spasmodic dysphonia? List 4 differences.
Spasmodic dysphonia is NOT a functional disorder like MTD. However adductor spasmodic dysphonia can appear very similar to Type 2 MTD (lateral hyperadduction).
In particular, spasmodic dysphonia is:
1. Task specific (ad: voiced vowels, Ab: voiceless consonants)
2. Will often improve with singing or with alcohol
3. Often associated with another dystonia or tremor (12-20% have family history of dystonia; often will also have essential tremor)
4. Doesn’t improve with voice therapy
Muscle tension dysphonia however is:
1. Less task specific
2. Improves with voice therapy
Name the laryngeal disorder associated with the following vocal fold closure patterns:
1. Posterior gap
2. Spindle
3. Hourglass
4. Asymmetric
- Posterior gap = MTD Type 1, or can be physiologic in women
- Spindle = vocal fold atrophy, presbylarynx
- Hourglass = vocal fold nodules
- Asymmetric = Vocal fold lesion (e.g. polyp, cyst, tumor, etc.)
What are the treatment options for a posterior glottic gap in the context of vocal fold paralysis?
- Arytenoid adduction
Describe arytenoid abduction and arytenoid adduction procedures. What action do they mimic? How are they performed, what are their indications?
Arytenoid ADDuction:
- Mimics the action of the lateral cricoarytenoid to internally rotate the arytenoid to close the glottis
- Performed by placing a suture in the muscular process of the arytenoid through the paraglottic space to the inferior cornu of the thyroid ala - applies anterior traction
- Indications: If thyroplasty is insufficient for medialization (e.g. significant flaccid paralysis and glottic incompetence), or height mismatch
Arytenoid ABDuction:
1. Mimics the action of the posterior cricoarytenoid to displace the vocal process laterally
2. Performed by placing a suture in the muscular process of the arytenoid and applying traction posteriorly and inferiorly - Applies posterior traction
3. Indications: Widens the glottic airway in patients with bilateral vocal fold paralysis
Kevan Page 20
How can you distinguish a psychogenic cause (e.g. conversion, malingering) of voice loss from true voice loss? What else can you distinguish with this test?
Psychogenic cause/conversion dysphonia
- Somatoform = Not produced by the patient intentially
- Can present as aphonia or hypophonia
- Have the patient cough
- Vocal folds abduct during the inspiratory phase, then close tightly for compressive phase, then open widely
- Also useful for differentiating psychogenic stridor from true bilateral VFP (patients will abduct vocal fold prior to cough)
- Useful for differentiating aphonic malingering patients (patients may not adduct vocal folds fully when asked to phonate, but will when coughing).
What are the types of spasmodic dysphonia, and the relative incidence of each?
What is the overall epidemiology of SD (F:M)?
- Adductor SD (80%)
- Abductor SD (15%)
- Mixed laryngeal dystonia (< 5%)
- Adductor breathing dystonia (< 5%)
- Singer’s laryngeal dystonia
Female:Male 8:1
List the voiced consonants compared to voiceless consonants, nasal consonants, and plosives
Voiced consonants: B, D, G, J, L, M, N, Ng, R, Sz, Th(as in the word “then”), V, W, Y, and Z.
Voiceless consonants: Ch, H, F, K, P, S, Sh, T, and Th(as in “thing”)
- Do not use the vocal folds to produce their hard, percussive sounds (tongue, teeth, and lips used)
Nasal consonants: M, N, Ng
Plosives: P, B, T
What are three indicators of a hyperfunctional laryngeal dysphonia on indirect laryngoscopy?
- Anteroposterior compression of the larynx
- Aryepiglottic fold contraction
- False vocal fold compression (medial compression)
√Discuss the clinical presentation and physical exam of adductor vs. abductor spasmodic dysphonia.
How do they differ on clinical presentation and voice characteristics? Name 2-3 characteristics each
How do you elicit findings on physical exam?
SPASMODIC DYSPHONIA:
- Action induced laryngeal motion disorder
- Focal dystonia, which may have an associated family history of other dystonias in 12%
- All are task specific, better with EtOH, worse with anxiety, better with singing/laughing
ADDUCTOR SD
Clinical Presentation:
1. Harsh, strained strangled quality with voice breaks in connected speech
2. Some compensate with low, breathy voice (sounds like ABdSD)
3. Worse with words that BEGIN with vowels and after voiced consonants
Physical Exam:
1. Elicit phrases that begin with vowels (e.g. count from 80-89, we eat eggs every day)
Laryngeal exam:
1. Inappropriate adduction of vocal folds with hyperfunction of supraglottis
2. Insertion of scope may diminish voluntary contractions and normalize speech (Geste Antagonist)
ABDUCTOR SD
Clinical Presentation:
1. Sustained breathiness with breathy voice breaks in connected speech
2. Worse for vowels following a VOICELESS consonant (vocal cords are relaxed, allowing air to flow freely from the lungs to the mouth, where the tongue, teeth, and lips engage to modulate the sound)
Physical Exam:
1. Elicit phrases of voiceless consonants - listen for a delayed onset of phonation after voiceless consonants (count from 60-69, the puppy bit the tape, Harry had a hard head)
Laryngeal Exam:
1. Inappropriate vocal fold abduction during connected speech
2. Insertion of scope may diminish voluntary contractions and normalize speech
√What is the Geste Antagonist?
A sensory trick, which is a manoeuvre used by patients with dystonia to ameliorate their dystonic movements or posturing.
With spasmodic dysphonia, this can sometimes occur with the insertion of a scope - and this may diminish their voluntary contractions and normalize speech
What are the sentences used to determine the type of spasmodic dysphonia?
ADductor:
1. Counting 80-89
2. We mow our lawn all year
3. We eat eggs every easter
4. Where were you one year ago
5. A dog dug a new bone
6. Eee eee eee
ABductor:
- Counting 60-69 (lower case b looks like 6)
- Harry hit the hammer hard
- The puppy bit the tape
- Peter will keep at the peak
- See See See
√What are the options of treatment for spasmodic dysphonia? 5
- Voice therapy: minimal role, but can help differentiate between AdSD and MTD
- Geste antagonist (sensory trick): Certain actions that temporarily interrupt dystonias (e.g. pulling on an ear) - not really a treatment modality though
- Medical: Anticholinergics, muscle relaxants (limiited benefit)
- Botox injections
- Surgery
- Adductor SD: denervation of RLN ± reinnervation to ansa - crush, neurolysis
- Adductor SD: Type 2 lateralization thyroplasty, bilateral TA±LCA myectomy
- Abductor SD: Type 1 Thyroplasty, PCA myoplasty (limited evidence
√What are the surgical options for spasmodic dysphonia?
3 AdSD, 2 for AbSD
Adductor SD:
1. SLAD-R: Selective laryngeal adductor denervation-reinnervation
2. Type 2 thyroplasty (not typically done in North America)
3. Bilateral TA ± LCA myectomy
ABductor SD:
1. Bilateral Type 1 thyroplasty, with or without botox
2. PCA myoplasty
√Discuss SLAD-R: Selective laryngeal adductor denervation-reinnervation. How does it work and how long does it take for tone to return?
- Anterior branch of the RLN is severed to denervate the spasming laryngeal adductors (TA and LCA).
- Ansa is then anastomosed to the severed nerve
- As with laryngeal reinnervation, it takes 3 months for tone to return
√How many types of botox are there? Which one is the most clinically useful and why?
7 types A to G
Type A is the longest lasting and therefore the most clinically useful
√What is the mechanism of action of botulinum toxin? How long does it take to reach effect?
Irreversibly blocks release of acetylcholine at neuromuscular junction (cleaves SNAP-25 proteins), causing muscles relaxation instead of contraction. Function returns only as new axons/receptors grow.
- 2 days (48 hours) to onset
- 2 weeks for maximal effect
- 2-6 months maximal duration of effect
√What is the dosage of botulinum toxin for treatment of AdSD and AbSD?
Which muscle do you inject for each, and through what approach?
What is the frequency of injection?
What are the side effects? 7 AdSD, 4 AbSD
Adductor SD:
1. Muscle: Thyroarytenoid muscle, or lateral cricoarytenoid (can do bilateral at once, or alternate unilateral)
2. Dosage: 1-5u (start 0.5u per side; range 0.05-10u); some say 1-1.25U
3. Approach: Commonly inject via cricothyroid membrane, thyrohyoid membrane, or transthyroid membrane; 15-30deg lateral and 30deg superior
4. Frequency of injection: q3-4 months bilaterally. Some individuals find benefit from unilateral injections at shorter intervals
5. Side effects: breathiness, difficulty swallowing liquids (1-3 days post injection, can last up to 2 weeks), aspiration, weak voice, hyperventilation, sore throat, bloody sputum
6. 90% success lasting ~15 weeks
Abductor SD:
1. Muscle: Posterior cricoarytenoid - unilateral ONLY per visit
2. Dosage: 2-5u (usually start 1u); Some say 1-3.75U
3. Side effects: Stridor with airway compromise (must scope to assess glottal adequacy prior to PCA injection, and only unilateral injections), Dysphagia (due to leakage to cricopharyngeus), sore throat, bloody sputum
4. More difficult to treat, 30-60% success, ~10 weeks
√What are the different approaches to the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle for botox injection of abductor SD? 5
How do you confirm location
- Anterior/transcricoid approach - via cricothyroid membrane, then through posterior cricoid ring.
- Lateral/retrocricoid/retrolaryngeal approach - through inferior constrictor
- Lateral/retrocricoid/retrolaryngeal approach with laryngeal rotation
- Transoral
- Transnasal
Confirmation of PCA location by EMG with SNIFFING
Nadia Botox Grand Rounds
√What are the different approaches for botox injection of adductor SD? 4
- Trans-cricothyroid membrane (most common)
- Trans-thyroid cartilage
- Trans-oral/trans-nasal
Nadia Botox Grand Rounds
√How is botulinumtoxin quantified? What is the lethal dose in humans?
Quantified in units, where 1 unit is the amount lethal to 50% of mice
1 bottle typically has 100 units
Lethal dose in humans is unknown, but based on primate studies likely around 2700-3000 units
√List 5 contraindications to botulinum toxin injection
- Pregnancy
- Neuromuscular disorders (E.g. myasthenia gravis, lambert-eaton)
- Infection at site of injection
- Aminoglycosides (interfere is neuromuscular transmission)
- Allergy to component
A PINA colada
√What are 3 signs of systemic toxicity from botulinum toxin?
- Descending flaccid paralysis
- Normal mentation
- No fever
vRegarding Adductor Breathing Disorder, discuss:
1. What are the other names? 1
2. What is it/characteristic findings? 3
3. How can it be reversed?
3. Causes? 2
4. Epidemiology/phenotype? 5
5. PFT findings?
6. Treatment? 3
Aka. Paradoxical vocal fold movement (PVFM)
CHARACTERISTICS:
- Adduction of vocal folds while inspiring = stridor and dyspnea
- Do NOT become hypoxic, do NOT need a trach
- Characteristic posterior glottic gap while adducting
- VF abducts when SNIFFING
CAUSES:
1. Organic causes: Brainstem compression, upper motor neuron or LMN injury, irritant exposure, LPR
2. Non-organic (malingering, conversion)
PHENOTYPE:
1. Young females
2. Type A personality
3. Astham in 60%
4. Anxiety
5. Athlete
PFT (similar to bilateral VFP):
- Blunting/flattening of inspiratory loop (variable extrahoracic) if symptomatic compared to asthma, which impairs the expiratory loop
TREATMENT:
1. Acute: heliox, positive pressure ventilation, reassurance, anxiolytics
2. Long term: speech/SLP therapy, Psychiatry
3. Bilateral Thyroarytenoid botox in severe cases
√How do you differentiate asthma and paradoxical vocal fold motion based on:
1. Quality of respiratory noise
2. Scope
3. CXR
4. Flow volume loops
- Quality of respiratory noise: PVFM = inspiratory/biphasic stridor; Asthma = wheeze
- Scope: PVFM = Vocal fold adduction on inspiration; asthma = no abnormalities
- CXR: PVFM = Normal; Asthma = 75% normal, but some will have pulmonary hyperinflation, pulmonary edema, and bronchial wall thickening
- Flow volume loops:
ASTHMA:
1. Flow loop = elliptical
2. FVC = Usually Decreased
3. FEV1 = Decreased > 20%
4. FEF = Decreased
5. FEV1/FVC = FEV1 decrease > FVC decrease
6. FEF/FIF = Ratio < 1
PVFM:
1. Flow loop = Truncated or flattened
2. FVC = Normal or Decreased
3. FEV1 = Normal or Decreased
4. FEF = Normal
5. FEV1/FVC = No change
6. FEF/FIF = Ratio > 1
Vancouver 201
What is a posterior glottic chink? List 3 conditions where this may be seen.
PGC = Posterior triangular gap extending from the posterior wall of the glottis to the tip of the vocal processes present on maximal closure of the glottis.
Conditions:
1. Muscle tension dysphonia (Type 1)
2. Paradoxical vocal fold motion
3. Physiologic in women
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ahmed-Fayed-3/publication/327109160/figure/fig1/AS:661770603606017@1534789815521/Vocal-cord-during-normal-inspiration-left-and-in-patient-with-vocal-cord-dysfunction.png
What is Plica Ventricularis?
Phonation via vibration of the false vocal folds, also known as ventricular phonation.
Can also be considred a type of Koufman-Blalock Type 2 muscle tension dysphonia (lateral hyperadduction)
√What are the neurological disorders that demonstrate vocal tremor?
“T-SPASM”
- T: Tic (Tourette’s)
- S: Spasmodic dysphonia
- P: Paradoxical/Parkinson’s disease or Parkinson-plus syndromes (including multisystem degeneratiion, shy-drager syndrome, basal ganglia degeneration, stroke, progressive supranuclear palsy)
- A: Ataxia disorders (Friedrich ataxia FNX gene); Aphonia/functional dysphonia
- S: eSSential tremor
- M: Myastenia gravis, Myoclonus, MTD, MS
√Differentiate between essential tremor and spasmodic dysphonia
SD = Dystonic contraction of specific intrinsic laryngeal muscles
EXAM:
- Key phrases elicit dystonia, but have no effect on essential tremor
Treatmetn:
- ET: Propranolol, primidone ± botox
- SD: Botox
√Regarding vocal tremor, discuss:
1. What is it?
2. Epidemiology?
3. Clinical presentation 5
4. Voice sounds like what 3
5. Exam findings 3
4. What is the treatment? 3
5. Describe 6 characteristic patterns of ESSENTIAL tremor.
6. How do essential tremor characteristics differ from laryngeal or vocal tremor?
VOCAL TREMOR:
- Involuntary, voca tremor (purposeless rhythmic movement) in the absence of other neurologic disorders (6-8Hz)
EPIDEMIOLOGY:
1. Bimodal age of onset (second and sixth decades of life)
CLINICAL PRESENTATION:
1. Most patients have tremor in the upper extremities ± head
2. Symptoms worsen over months to years
3. Can be absent or seen at rest, but attenuated at end of movement, maximal during posturing and exaggerated during phonation
4. Tremor worsens with anxiety, improves with EtOH
5. Tremor affects ALL laryngopharyngeal muscles compared to SD which affects intralaryngeal muscles only
Voice during vocal tremor:
1. Altered pitch and loudness
2. Phonation stoppages
3. Decreased intelligibility
Exam Findings:
- Variiable groups of muscles affected, from strap muscles, palate and intrinsic laryngeal muscles to being isolated to intrinsic laryngeal muscles
- Periodic/rhythmic modulation of vocal pitch and loudness
- Most noticeable during prolongation of vowels
Treatment:
1. Propranolol and Primidone first line (variable effect in improving voice)
2. Botox into most severely affected muscles (commonly sternohyoid and sternothyroid) if propranolol and primidone are ineffective
CHARACTERISTIC PATTERNS OF ESSENTIAL TREMOR:
1. Absent at rest
2. Maximal during maintence of a posture (end of movement, posturing, phonation)
3. Reduced with movement
4. Accentuated at the termination of movement
5. Bilateral
6. Symmetric
Compared to Vocal tremor:
1. Parallel the onset of other symptoms, or presents in isolation
2. Sudden onset that can cause rapid deterioration in speech intelligibility
3. Greater with emotional stress or fatigue
4. Seen at rest with quiet inspiration on examination of the larynx.
√What are 6 treatment options for laryngeal tremor?
Medications:
1. Benzodiazepines
2. Propranolol
3. Primidone (Barbituate)
Procedural:
1. Botox injection (doesn’t eliminate tremor, but makes it less severe) - injected into the muscles that seem most affected by tremor
Surgical:
1. Deep brain stimulation
2. Thalamotomy
√What is the approach to botox injection for laryngeal tremor?
Predominately horizontal glottic tremor = bilateral thyroarytenoid muscles are injected with an initial dose of 1 unit per side.
Predominately vertical laryngopharyngeal tremor = bilateral strap muscles are injected with an initial dose of 2.5 to 5 units per side. This diminishes the up-and-down motion of the larynx, thereby decreasing the amplitude of the tremor and making speech more fluent.
If there is both vertical and horizontal tremor, injections can be alternated 3 to 8 weeks apart to avoid dysphagia and aspiration.
Cummings Page 835
What is the pathophysiology of Myasthenia Gravis? What are 3 diagnostic tests that can be used in an ENT setting?
Pathophysiology:
- Auto-antibodies formed against Acetylcholine receptors at the post-synaptic neuromuscular junction
- Results in a fatiguable neuromuscular response
Diagnostic tests:
1. Endoscopy: Repeated vocal use results in laryngeal fatigue
2. Serum antibodies to ACh receptor
3. Edrophonium (Tensilon) Test
List 8 treatment options for myasthenia Gravis, and their classifications.
What are 3 indications for thymectomy?
What are 3 indications to NOT do a thymectomy
Acetylcholinesterase inhibition (symptomatic relief)
1. Pyridostigmine
2. Neostigmine
Chronic immunosuppressive therapy:
1. Steroids
2. Azathioprine
3. Mycophenylate
Rapid immunomodulation
1. IVIg
2. Plasma exchange
Surgery
1. Thymectomy
Indications for Thymectomy:
1. Thymoma
2. Generalized MG with Age < 60 AND either AChR-antibody associated with MG OR Seronegative MG
3. Disabling ocular MG
No thymectomy for any of the following:
1. ≥ 60 years old
2. MuSK antibody-associated MG
3. Nondisabling ocular MG
Kevan Page 22
NOT IN VANCOUVERS
What is the diagnostic criteria for Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s Disease requires all of the following:
1. Parkinsonism (bradykinesia + tremor/rigidity)
2. No “red flags”
3. No absolute exclusion criteria
4. At least ≥ 2 supportive criteria
Red Flags:
1. Rapid deterioration of gait
2. Absence of motor symptom progression over 5 years
3. Early bulbar dysfunction
4. Respiraotry dysfunctin
5. Early severe autonomic failure
6. Early recurrent falls due to misbalance
7. Disproportionate anterocollis
8. Absence of common non-motor features of disease during >5 years
9. Pyramidal tract signs
10. Bilateral symmetric presentation
Absolute exclusion criteria:
1. Cerebellar signs
2. Supranuclear gaze palsy
3. Established diagnosis of BVFTD
4. Parkinsonism is restricted to the lower limbs only for >3 years
5. Treatment with an antidopaminergic, or with dopamine-depletion agents
6. Absence of response to levodopa
7. Sensory-cortical loss
8. No evidence for dopaminergic deficiency on functional imaging
9. Other parkinsonism-inducing condition
Supportive Criteria:
1. A clear and dramatic positive response to dopaminergic therapy
2. Levodopa-induced dyskinesia
3. Documentation of resting tremor of a limb
4. A positive diagnostic test of either olfactory loss or cardiac sympathetic denervation on scintigraphy
List 4 vocal presentation of Parkinson’s disease
- Hypokinetic dysarthria (45%)
- Decreased loudness (poor breath support)
- Monotone
- Prosodic insufficiency
List 6 Endoscopic / Stroboscopy findings of Parkinson’s disease
- Vocal folds may be adynamic and/or bowed
- Increased jitter and shimmer
- Decreased harmonic/noise ratio
- Tremor
- May have laryngeal rigidity –> strained voice similar to in SD
- Pooling of secretions/aspiration