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Approach to diagnosis of vocal fold immobility: a literature review

Abstract

Vocal fold immobility (VFI) is a sign of disease and not a final diagnosis. VFI can have a profound impact on a patient’s quality of life. The most important objective in evaluating a patient with VFI is to exclude the existence of a treatable and potentially life-threatening primary disease as the cause of VFI. Thorough evaluation of these cases is mandatory for proper decision-making and planning of therapy. This paper addresses the established diagnostic workup for VFI and critically evaluates the contribution of different modalities to VFI diagnosis. To achieve this goal, a comprehensive review of the available literature regarding the diagnostic approaches to VFI was conducted. Eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed, Google Scholar, Springer, and ScienceDirect databases for relevant articles by combining the MESH heading term ‘vocal fold immobility’ with the words ‘diagnosis, evaluation, paralysis, electromyography, imaging’.

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Correspondence to Omayma E. Afsah MD, PhD.

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Afsah, O.E. Approach to diagnosis of vocal fold immobility: a literature review. Egypt J Otolaryngol 31, 78–91 (2015). https://doi.org/10.4103/1012-5574.156088

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