Key Points Zenker diverticulum is the most common type of hypopharyngeal diverticulum. The most common presenting symptoms are dysphagia for solid food and food regurgitation. Definitive management is surgical treatment, which should be provided electively for relief of symptoms and…
Key Points Transnasal esophagoscopy has diagnostic efficacy comparable to that of conventional sedated endoscopy but can be performed in an office-based setting without sedation. Performing transnasal esophagoscopy in an office-based setting is more cost-effective, more convenient, and safer for patients…
Key Points Primary symptoms of underlying esophageal disorders, most often due to mechanical or motility disturbance, include heartburn, dysphagia, odynophagia, and regurgitation. Indications for endoscopy are presence of weight loss, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, dysphagia, odynophagia, chest pain, poor response to…
Key Points Accurate preoperative assessment of laryngotracheal stenosis is critical to a successful repair; it includes the use of multiple staging systems to evaluate diameter and levels of airway stenosis. The primary goals of surgical intervention are to establish an…
Key Points Laryngeal trauma is rare (1 : 137,000) but acutely life-threatening, and if not promptly recognized and treated, it can cause significant long-term morbidity. External laryngeal trauma is blunt or penetrating. Internal trauma is most commonly due to translaryngeal intubation but…
Key Points Intractable aspiration results in chronic soilage of the lower respiratory tract and life-threatening pulmonary infections. In adult patients, cerebrovascular accident with subsequent lower cranial nerve palsies is the most common cause of intractable aspiration; other causes include neuromuscular…
Key Points Ideal rehabilitation of unilateral vocal fold paralysis would involve restoration of vocal fold movement, position, bulk, and tone. Complete recovery from unilateral paralysis can only happen now through the spontaneous and appropriate regeneration of the recurrent laryngeal nerve…
Key Points Arytenoid adduction mimics the action of the lateral cricoarytenoid muscle to internally rotate the arytenoid to close the glottis. Arytenoid adduction is indicated for the treatment of laryngeal incompetence in patients with unilateral laryngeal paralysis. Arytenoid adduction can…
Key Points Both medialization thyroplasty and vocal fold injection can be used successfully to manage glottal insufficiency associated with unilateral vocal fold motion impairment, vocal fold bowing, and soft tissue deficits. The choice of procedure, medialization thyroplasty or vocal fold…
Key Points Understanding the differences between the immunologic response of the laryngopharynx to pathogenic versus environmental stimuli will likely be critical as we better our understanding of diseases such as allergy, reflux, and malignancy. The most common causes of acute…