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Gauthier Desuter,1,2 Benjamin Mertens,3 Alain Delchambre,3 Julie van Lith-Bijl,1,4 Peter Paul van Benthem,2 Elisabeth Sjögren2 1Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery Department, Voice & Swallowing Clinic, Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium; 2Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery Department, LUMC, University of Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands; 3BEAMS Department, Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; 4Otolaryngology Department, Flevoziekenhuis, Almere, the Netherlands Introduction: Glottic leakage during phonation is a direct consequence of unilateral vocal fold (VF) paralysis. This air leakage can be in the horizontal plane and in the vertical plane. Presently, there is no easily applicable medical device allowing noninvasive, office-based measurement of the relative vertical position of the VFs. The larynx ruler (LR) is a laser-based measuring device that could meet the previously stated need, using a flexible endoscope. This study represents a proof of concept regarding the use of the LR in assessing VF relative positions in the vertical plane. Materials and methods: One fresh male human cadaver larynx, free of neurologic and anatomic disease, was explored with the LR system through the operative channel of a flexible gastroenterology video-endoscope. The tip of the video-endoscope was located in the laryngeal vestibule. The right crico-arytenoid joint was posteriorly disarticulated. Tilting of the VF was obtained by pulling or pushing the arytenoid cartilage with a mosquito forceps fixed to the stump of the previously sectioned superior tip of the posterior crico-arytenoid muscle allowing anterior and posterior tilting of the arytenoid cartilage in order to induce an elevation or a depression of the VF process. Ten “push” and ten “pull” sessions were performed. The distance from the tip of the video-endoscope to each illuminated pixel of the laser beam was recorded. The level difference between the left and right VFs was measured for each recording. Results: Data provided by the LR were consistently in accordance with the movements applied on the VFs. The accuracy of 0.2 mm of the LR is compatible with the envisioned applications for the human larynx. Conclusion: The LR system represents a feasible technique to evaluate respective vertical position of VFs in the human larynx. Technical limitations were identified that will require improvements before experimental use on human beings. Keywords: laryngoscopy, laser, measurement device, unilateral vocal fold paralysis

Objective: To evaluate the long-term functional outcomes in patients who received primary radiotherapy for tumour–node stage T2N0 glottic carcinoma, stratified for tumour extension. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on patients who were treated with radiotherapy for T2N0 glottic carcinoma. Four questionnaires were used to measure different aspects of functional outcome. In addition, objective evaluation and perceptual analysis were performed. Results: Fourteen patients were included in this study. The median time between the start of radiotherapy and assessment was 42 months (range, 26–143 months). Patients reported high-level functioning, with low symptom scores and good swallowing function, and showed a median dysphonia grade of 1.5. The median Voice Handicap Index-30 score was 17.5. Conclusion: Patients with T2N0 glottic carcinoma treated with radiotherapy had good long-term quality of life, with low symptom scores, good swallowing functioning and slightly elevated voice outcome parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this multicentric cross‐sectional study was to examine the permanency of Montgomery thyroplasty (MTIS) results from a patient's perspective. Design: The study consisted of collecting Voice Handicap Index (VHI‐30) questionnaires from patients who had previously been operated with MTIS between 2 and 12 years before. Very long‐term (>2 years) postoperative data were compared with the previously acquired preoperative and early postoperative VHI results. Influence of factors such as age, gender, size/side of the prosthesis and length of the follow‐up were also analysed. Setting: Multicentric study involving three tertiary European voice centres. Participants: Forty‐nine unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) patients, treated by MTIS, were included in the study. Main outcome measures: The Voice Handicap Index‐30 score. Results & Conclusions: The median VHI was significantly different over time‐points (Friedman's test P < .001), with a significant difference between preoperative and early postoperative time‐points (median VHI: 70 vs 21, respectively; P < .001) and between preoperative and very long‐term postoperative time‐points (median VHI: 70 vs 16, respectively; P < .001). The median VHI did not differ for the early and very long‐term postoperative time‐points (median VHI: 21 vs 16; P = .470). Age differences, gender differences and size/side differences of the prostheses, centres where surgery took place and length of the follow‐up showed no significant influence. Medialisation thyroplasty (MT) overall and MTIS, in particular, should be considered as a possible standard of care for UVFP when permanency of voice results is sought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There is no consensus on which voice outcome indicators (VOIs) should be used to compare the merits of the various surgical treatments for unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP). Authors performed a literature review to identify which VOIs are most frequently used and most relevant, in terms of significant change in pre- and post-operative measurements, to assess UVFP surgical treatments.Method: A Medline/Pubmed literature review was performed and the most frequently used VOIs were identified using a Pareto diagram. For these most frequently used VOI’s, the number of studies that showed a statistically significant change in pre- and post-operative results were compared to the total number of studies found using that same VOI, this portion was expressed in percent. This percentage was defined as the “percentage of significance” and used to assess changes of each VOI.Results: Eleven VOIs were identified using the Pareto analysis. These were, in decreasing order of frequency of citation: maximum phonation time (MPT), jitter, Shimmer, video-stroboscopic examination, noise to harmonic ratio (NHR/HNR), mean air flow (MeAF), fundamental frequency (F0), “Infrequent Perceptional Scales”, GRBAS scale, mean subglottic pressure (MSGP). MPT, MeAF, factor G of GRBAS-I, Jitter, shimmer and VHI-30 had respective “percentage of significance” of 90, 86, 85, 74, 68 and 64%, respectively.Conclusion: The results indicate that MPT, MeAF and GRBAS-I, represent the top-three most frequently used and the most relevant VOIs in terms of “percentage of significance”. VHI-30 showed a relatively low rate of use and low “percentage of significance”. The role of Jitter and Shimmer remains unclear. Finally, MSGP and the F0 appear to be less relevant VOIs for the evaluation of UFVP surgical treatments in terms of significant change in pre- and post-operative measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]