Objective: To evaluate the correlation between the reflux symptom index (RSI) and the reflux finding score (RFS) in the patients with voice-related problems and to investigate the reliability of RFS.Methods: Fifty-four patients presenting with the complaint of voice abnormality were included in the study. Patients were asked to complete an RSI score sheet, and they were examined by rigid laryngostroboscopy. Laryngostroboscopic examinations of the patients were evaluated and rated with RFS by three different otolaryngologists blinded to patient information in two different sessions to evaluate intra-rater and inter-rater reliability. The correlations between RSI and RFS, for both total RFS and individual variables from RFS, were investigated.Results: Sixty-three percent were female and 37% were male, with a mean±SD age of 39.09±14.43 years. RSI ranged from 4 to 31, and RFS ranged from 8 to 22. All three raters demonstrated highly consistent intra-rater and inter-rater reliability for both total RFS and individual variables from RFS. There was a highly significant statistical correlation between RSI and total RFS (r=0.696; p=0.0001). Individual variables from RFS, except the posterior commissure hypertrophy, also demonstrated a significant positive correlation with RSI scores (p<0.05).Conclusion: RFS is a simple scale that could easily be administered with high intra-rater and inter-rater reliability for the evaluation of laryngopharyngeal reflux. RSI is highly correlated with both total RFS and all the individual variables from RFS, except posterior commissure hypertrophy. (JAREM 2015; 5: 68-74)

The aim of this study is to prospectively compare rigid videolaryngostroboscopy with microlaryngoscopy for the diagnosis of benign vocal cord lesions. Eighty-five adult patients with benign vocal cord lesions were evaluated with videolaryngostroboscopy and later underwent microlaryngoscopy. During microlaryngoscopy, systematic examination of the glottis was conducted, including careful inspection and meticulous palpation of the vocal cords from anterior commissure to arytenoids. Preoperative and intraoperative diagnoses were analyzed. One hundred and forty-one lesions were diagnosed preoperatively with rigid videolaryngostroboscopy in 85 patients. Microlaryngoscopy revealed a total of 199 lesions in these patients, demonstrating a 41.1 % higher diagnostic yield. Forty-five (77.6 %) of the 58 additional lesions involved structural abnormalities, including sulcus vocalis, microwebs, vascular ectasia, mucosal bridges, and anterior web. The preoperative diagnosis was consistent with the postoperative diagnosis in only 29 patients (34.2 %). For the rest of the patients (n = 56, 65.8 %), the preoperative diagnosis was either changed, or new lesions were identified during microlaryngoscopy. Intraoperative diagnosis of benign vocal cord lesions differs significantly from preoperative diagnosis, regarding both the type and number of lesions present. A large proportion of patients diagnosed with videolaryngostroboscopy have additional lesions, particularly structural abnormalities. Precise inspection and palpation of vocal cords are thus essential during microlaryngoscopy.

We observed that changing the concentrations of ingredients of commercially available fibrin glue, the source of the cartilage, or the cultured chondrocyte concentration did not have significant effect on neocartilage formation.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate patients with vocal fold polyps using laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) for the presence of vocal fold paresis and to compare transnasal fiberoptic and rigid stroboscopic findings between polyp patients with normal LEMG and with vocal fold paresis. Thirty-five patients with a vocal fold polyp underwent transnasal fiberoptic laryngoscopy, rigid laryngostroboscopy, and LEMG. The findings were compared between the LEMG-confirmed vocal fold paresis patients and the normal LEMG patients. LEMG resulted in a diagnosis of unilateral or bilateral vocal fold paresis in 17 of 35 patients (48.6 %). More men than women with vocal fold polyps had vocal fold paresis (p < 0.05). The vocal fold paresis group had higher presence of axial rotation and hypomobility of vocal folds, higher asymmetry of vertical height of vocal folds, and less presence of longitudinal stretch of vocal folds (p < 0.05). Medial-lateral compression of the false vocal folds and anterior-posterior approximation of the larynx did not show any difference between the groups. No significant difference was found in vibratory wave characteristics between the groups through rigid laryngostroboscopy. Vocal fold paresis was present in almost half of the patients with vocal fold polyps. Paresis can only be accurately diagnosed with LEMG. Transnasal fiberoptic laryngoscopic examination is helpful to recognize vocal fold paresis in vocal fold polyp patients, while stroboscopic examination is not useful to identify it in vocal fold polyp patients.