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Investigation of vocal cord palsy aetiology: timing and relevance of imaging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2024

Bahareh Bakhshaie Philipsen Open the ORCID record for Bahareh Bakhshaie Philipsen [Opens in a new window] ,
Jacob Mølstrøm ,
Camilla Slot Mehlum  and
Gitte Bjørn Hvilsom
Bahareh Bakhshaie Philipsen*
Affiliation:
Department of Head & Neck Surgery, Zealand University Hospital, Køge, ZL, Denmark
Jacob Mølstrøm
Affiliation:
Department of Head & Neck Surgery and Audiology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, SYD, Denmark
Camilla Slot Mehlum
Affiliation:
Department of Head & Neck Surgery and Audiology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, SYD, Denmark
Gitte Bjørn Hvilsom
Affiliation:
Department of Head & Neck Surgery, Zealand University Hospital, Køge, ZL, Denmark
*
Corresponding author: Bahareh Bakhshaie Philipsen; Email: bphilipsen@health.sdu.dk
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Abstract

Objectives

We aimed to evaluate imaging modalities utilized in patients with vocal cord palsy (VCP) of unknown aetiology, emphasizing the significance of timing and diagnostic yield.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective review of medical records of patients diagnosed with VCP of unknown aetiology after their initial clinical examination between 2005 and 2016.

Results

In our cohort, 46 out of 173 (27 per cent) patients were diagnosed with malignancies. All malignancies were identified during the initial imaging examination, except for one patient. Diagnostic imaging facilitated the diagnosis in 36 per cent of the patients. Computed tomography (CT) of the neck and chest and full-body positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) presented the highest overall diagnostic yield of 36 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively.

Conclusion

We recommend that patients with initial CT of the neck and upper chest or PET-CT combined with magnetic resonance imaging without pathological findings, are followed without additional imaging examinations, unless new relevant symptoms arise.

Keywords

CTfollow-up MRIPETultrasoundvocal cord palsyvocal cord paralysisvocal cord paralyses

Information

Type
Main Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 139 , Issue 9 , September 2025 , pp. 782 - 789
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED.

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Footnotes

Bahareh Bakhshaie Philipsen takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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