1/79. Left vocal cord paralysis as a primary manifestation of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a nonimmunocompromised host.We report the first case (to our knowledge) of vocal cord paralysis as a primary manifestation of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, which occurred in a 69-year-old woman without immunodeficiency. Her chest radiograph showed left upper lobe infiltration with pleural thickening, and a computed tomogram of her chest showed a thick pleural reaction and fibrosis around the arch of the aorta. A transbronchial biopsy specimen revealed aspergillus infection. The patient was treated with oral itraconazole. However, since vocal cord paralysis persisted, the patient underwent type I thyroplasty to improve vocal function. A review of the literature showed that the incidence of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis has increased, even in nonimmunocompromised subjects, and that the disease has a potential for recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. Therefore, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis should be considered in patients with vocal cord paralysis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = upper, chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/79. A smoker with paroxysmal dyspnea.A 40-year-old woman who had experienced recurring episodes of dyspnea for 28 years presented to the emergency department with increasing shortness of breath, wheezing, and dry cough of three days' duration. She had been seen at another hospital shortly after symptoms began but left against medical advice. She did not have fever, chills, or other symptoms of upper respiratory infection.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.73771905244326keywords = upper (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/79. Bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve neuropraxia following laryngeal mask insertion: a rare cause of serious upper airway morbidity.We report the case of a 4-year-old boy who developed bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve neuropraxia following a routine anaesthetic with a laryngeal mask airway. The possible mechanisms of injury and the ways that this rare but critical complication might be avoided are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2.950876209773keywords = upper (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/79. Malignant laryngotracheal obstruction: a way to treat serial stenoses of the upper airways.BACKGROUND: Six patients known to have inoperable esophageal carcinoma presented with stridor due to both malignant tracheal stenosis (n = 6) and bilateral vocal cord paralysis. Two patients also had respiratory-digestive fistula. methods: Patency was restored by endotracheal stenting plus unilateral cordectomy. Four patients had immediate relief. Two patients required enlargement of the cord incision. One of them declined reoperation and underwent tracheotomy. RESULTS: Stent function was uneventful. There was no dislodgement or mucous impaction. fistula seal was complete. There was no aspiration through the new-shaped glottic orifice. Peak expiratory flow increased from 24.4% /- 9.7% predicted normal before to 40.5% /- 13.7% after the procedure, whereas the dyspnea score decreased from 74.2 /- 12.7 to 24.2 /- 14.0. CONCLUSIONS: Restoration of airway continuity in serial laryngotracheal stenoses using a combined approach is a feasible technique in end-stage cancer patients. It effectively relieves respiratory distress and ensures voice preservation. In addition, it may avoid the risks of tracheotomy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2.950876209773keywords = upper (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/79. safety and efficacy of heliox as a treatment for upper airway obstruction due to radiation-induced laryngeal dysfunction.The mixture of helium and oxygen, called heliox, has been successfully used in the management of different respiratory diseases since 1935. Despite several reports on its usefulness, it is not widely available in acute care facilities and it remains somewhat controversial. In this article we present the case of a 69-year-old woman in whom bilateral vocal cord paralysis developed after radiation therapy and in whom heliox was successfully used to manage her upper airway obstruction. Although heliox offers an additional tool in the treatment of various airway and pulmonary problems, it can be used only as a temporizing agent to allow time for appropriate therapy of the underlying process. Given its beneficial physiologic and clinical effects, it seems that further studies are warranted to define a clear and concise protocol for its use in the emergency setting.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3.6885952622163keywords = upper (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/79. Vagal neuropathy after upper respiratory infection: a viral etiology?PURPOSE: To describe a condition that occurs following an upper respiratory illness, which represents injury to various branches of the vagus nerve. patients with this condition may present with breathy dysphonia, vocal fatigue, effortful phonation, odynophonia, cough, globus, and/or dysphagia, lasting long after resolution of the acute viral illness. The patterns of symptoms and findings in this condition are consistent with the hypothesis that viral infection causes or triggers vagal dysfunction. This so-called postviral vagal neuropathy (PVVN) appears to have similarities with other postviral neuropathic disorders, such as glossopharyngeal neuralgia and Bell's palsy. MATERIALS AND methods: Five patients were identified with PVVN. Each patient's chart was reviewed, and elements of the history were recorded. RESULTS: Each of the 5 patients showed different features of PVVN. CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory infection can trigger or cause vocal fold paresis, laryngopharyngeal reflux, and neuropathic pain.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3.6885952622163keywords = upper (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/79. Neuromuscular disorders presenting as congenital bilateral vocal cord paralysis.Congenital bilateral vocal cord paralysis (BVCP) can be associated with an underlying neuromuscular disorder, and may present before other features of the neuromuscular disorder become apparent. All infants less than 12 months of age presenting with BVCP between July 1987 and July 1999 at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, in whom a neuromuscular disorder was subsequently diagnosed were followed. Three children in whom BVCP was diagnosed soon after birth and before recognition of an underlying neuromuscular disorder were identified. All presented with upper airway obstructive symptoms at birth, had a diagnosis of bilateral abductor vocal cord paralysis made at awake flexible laryngoscopy, and had no underlying structural laryngeal abnormality on microlaryngoscopy and bronchoscopy. Two children required a tracheostomy, and 1 child was weaned from nasopharyngeal continuous positive airway pressure after 3 weeks. Subsequent neuromuscular symptoms were recognized between 4 months and 7 years later, leading to diagnoses of facioscapulohumeral myopathy, spinal muscular atrophy, and congenital myasthenia gravis. In each case, the prognosis for recovery from symptoms related to BVCP reflected that of the underlying neuromuscular disorder. This experience suggests that congenital BVCP may be a feature of an unrecognized neuromuscular condition. This possibility should be considered particularly in the presence of associated neurodevelopmental or neuromuscular dysfunction, or in cases in which BVCP is progressive.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.73771905244326keywords = upper (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/79. Congenital hypomyelination neuropathy in a newborn infant: unusual cause of diaphragmatic and vocal cord paralyses.We report a case of congenital hypomyelination neuropathy presenting at birth. The infant had generalized hypotonia and weakness. There was decreased respiratory effort along with a right phrenic nerve and left vocal cord paralyses. tongue fasciculations were present. Deep tendon reflexes were absent in the upper extremities and hypoactive (1 ) in the lower extremities. magnetic resonance imaging of the head revealed no intracranial abnormalities, including normal cerebral myelination. Nerve conduction study showed absence of motor and sensory action potentials in the hands when the nerves in the upper limbs were stimulated. A motor response could be elicited only in the proximal leg muscles. Needle electromyography study was normal in the proximal limb muscles, but showed active denervation in the distal muscles of the arm and leg. These findings were thought to be consistent with a length-dependent sensorimotor peripheral polyneuropathy of axonal type with greater denervation of the distal muscles. A biopsy of the quadriceps muscle showed mild variability in fiber diameter, but no group typing or group atrophy. The muscle fibers showed no intrinsic abnormalities. biopsy of the sural nerve showed scattered axons with very thin myelin sheaths. There was also a nearly complete loss of large diameter myelinated fibers. No onion bulb formations were noted. These findings were thought to be consistent with congenital hypomyelination neuropathy with a component of axonopathy. dna analysis for identification of previously characterized mutations in the genes MPZ, PMP22, and EGR2 was negative. Several attempts at extubation failed and the infant became increasingly ventilator-dependent with increasing episodes of desaturation and hypercapnea. He also developed increasing weakness and decreased movement of all extremities. He underwent surgery at 2 months of age for placement of a gastrostomy tube and a tracheostomy. He was discharged from the hospital on a ventilator at 6 months of age. The infant was 13 months old at the time of submission of this report. Although he appears cognitively normal, he remains profoundly hypotonic and is on a home ventilator. There was no evidence of progressive weakness. Congenital hypomyelination neuropathy is a rare form of neonatal neuropathy that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a newborn with profound hypotonia and weakness. It appears to be a heterogeneous disorder with some of the cases being caused by specific genetic mutations.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.4754381048865keywords = upper (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/79. vincristine-induced vocal cord paralysis in an infant.We report the development of stridor and dysphagia in a 5-month-old-infant with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia after the administration of four weekly doses of vincristine during induction therapy. Because direct laryngoscopy revealed bilateral vocal cord paralysis, the patient underwent elective intubation. Extubation was performed 7 days later, after direct laryngoscopy confirmed recovery of vocal cord mobility. vincristine-induced bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. Therefore, it should be suspected when stridor is present, and clinicians should consider visualization of the airway to establish the cause of upper airway compromise in infants receiving vincristine.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.73771905244326keywords = upper (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/79. Effect of chronic electrical stimulation of laryngeal muscle on voice.Conventional surgical therapies for bilateral laryngeal paralysis sacrifice voice to enlarge the airway. Electrical pacing of the posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) muscle to restore glottal opening and allow ventilation offers a new treatment approach. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether long-term stimulation of the PCA muscle altered perceptual, acoustic, and aerodynamic parameters of voice. Two patients underwent implantation of a Medtronic Itrel II laryngeal pacemaker. Voice evaluation was performed before surgery and at monthly postoperative sessions with the pacemaker off. Months of PCA stimulation did not change perceptual descriptors of voice quality. Measures of fundamental frequency and intensity, upper and lower limits of the dynamic frequency and intensity range, and phonatory flow rates were largely unaltered. The results indicated that there was no effect of laryngeal pacing on voice.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.73771905244326keywords = upper (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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