nesrine hamouda 1

1 faculty of medicine, alexandria university, otorhinolaryngology, alexandria

Aboras,Y.A.^*, Abd-Elfattah,H.^*, Emam,M.H.^**, Hamouda, N.H.^*

Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt

^* Department of Otorhinolaryngology.

^** Department of Physical Medicine

Objectives: To determine the diagnostic and prognostic role of laryngeal electromyography in vocal fold immobility and the relation between the different electromyographic patterns and both acoustic and aerodynamic measures.

Subjects & methods: Twenty patients with vocal fold immobility diagnosed by indirect rigid laryngoscopy were studied and followed up for six months for return of vocal fold motion. Each patient was subjected to laryngeal electromyography of the thyroarytenoid and cricothyroid muscles, acoustic and aerodynamic measurements at the time of presentation as well as after six months. A control group of 10 healthy subjects was included for comparative study.

Results: The specificity of laryngeal EMG was 100 %, whereas the sensitivity was 80% in diagnosing vocal fold immobility. The specificity of laryngeal EMG was 75%, while the sensitivity was 93.7% in predicting recovery in patients with vocal fold immobility. The Patients with reduced recruitment showed statistically significant higher mean flow rate, mean pressure and lower mean resistance.

Conclusion: Laryngeal electromyography is a useful adjunct to the diagnosis of vocal fold immobility. Laryngeal electromyography reflects vocal fold muscle tone as observed in acoustic and aerodynamic studies.

Jan Wouter Brunings 1 , Janneke J.B.F.G. Schepens 1 , Freek Bot 2 , Carine J. Peutz 2 , Bernd Kremer 1

1 Maastricht University Medical Centre, Otorhinolaryngology, Maastricht

2 Maastricht University Medical Centre, Pathology, Maastricht

Background: The quality of the female voice is altered under influence of the menstrual cycle and alters in hormonally different situations such as pregnancy and menopause. The underlying pathophysiology is unknown. The aim of this study is to prove the existence of estrogen receptors in the human vocal fold.

Methods: 34 vocal fold specimen obtained during surgery in 2006, were immunohistochemically investigated for ER and PR expression by two independent pathologists. In a second study 25 vocal fold specimen of laryngeal edema and laryngocele obtained during surgery from 2003-2006 were investigated.

Results: Specific immunohistochemical staining for ER was observed in the specimen of laryngeal edema and laryngoceles. No staining was seen in normal tissue. Unspecific staining patterns could be observed in cases with reactive changes such as cysts and polyps.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the expression of estrogen receptors in certain benign lesions of the female human vocal fold. Further research towards the function of estrogen receptors in laryngeal edema is advised.

Josef Schlömicher-Thier 1 , Matthias Weikert 1

1 Austrian Voice Institute, , Neumarkt

Müller Rainer 1 , Albrecht Niemz 1

1 University-Hospital, ENT, Dresden