ABSTRACT

Vocal fold paralysis is frequently encountered by otolaryngologists. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the compensatory and structural changes in the larynx after vocal fold paraly-sis by videolaryngoscopy.

Medical charts, videolaryngoscopy and fiberoptic laryngoscopy records of patients with unilateral/bilateral median/lateral vocal fold paralysis were reviewed and morpho-logical changes and muscle tension patterns in the larynx, and the glottic gap during phonation in the endoscopic records were noted. One-hundred and thirty-one patients who were evaluated at our department over a 10-year period from 1997 to 2006 were included in this study.

Unilateral vocal fold paralysis was noted in 76.4 % of patients and bilateral vocal fold paralysis was noted in the remaining 23.6 % of the patients. Anterior or lateral dislocation of the arytenoid cartilage (38 %), bowing (11.5 %) and granuloma (3 %) of the vocal folds, sulcus vocalis (1.5 %) and hypertrophy of the ventricular folds (29.7 %) were encountered as structural changes after vocal fold paralysis. Furthermore, different types of muscle tension patterns and glottic gap were observed in the endoscopic records of patients.

In this study, well documented endoscopic data of a large series was presented. We believe that our study will will supply a different aspect to otolaryngologists, in the scope of vo-cal fold paralysis. However, we consider that standardized and prospective studies supported with stroboscopy and electromyography are required in order to find out the details of laryngeal changes after vocal fold paralysis.

Keywords: Vocal Fold Paralysis, Videolaryngoscopy, Fiberoptic Laryngoscopy