Section: 
Original articles
Original articlesUltrasound assessment of vocal cord mobility: ultrasound anatomy and technique
A. A. Kuprin (1), Zh. E. Komarova (1), N. N. Vetsheva (2), E. R. Argunova (1), N. S. Malyuga (3)
(1) Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Research and Clinical Institute (MONIKI), Moscow, 129110, Russia, (2) Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education, Moscow, 125993, Russia, (3) Yudin City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, 115446, Russia
UDK: УДК 616.222-073.4-8:616.441-089
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18692/1810-4800-2022-4-8-28
ABSTRACT
The main advantages of vocal folds ultrasound are noninvasiveness, wide technical availability, the possibility of application by different specialists, and that it takes a short time to exam. These properties determine the method as a screening method for diagnosing paresis and paralysis of the larynx. However, the method has not been widely used due to its low sensitivity and is mainly used in patients before and after thyroid surgery. The low accuracy of the ultrasonography for the assessment of vocal fold mobility is mainly due to the lack of universal ultrasound anatomical landmarks, the presence of which would increase the possibilities of ultrasound. Thus, most specialists choose vocal cords as a main sonographic marker which do not have clear image and are not visualized in all patients. The work carried out the correlation of anatomical structures identified during autopsy, endoscopic and ultrasound studies. The arytenoid cartilages, identified in all the subjects, were distinguished by the constancy of the ultrasound pattern and active mobility in accordance with breathing cycles and phonation. Therefore, these structures are proposed as the main ultrasound landmarks for assessing the mobility of the vocal cords. Additional structures reflecting the motor function of the larynx are the vocal cords and vestibular folds, the ventricles, and the muscular-ligamentous apparatus of the larynx. They did not have precise patterns, are not identified in all patients, and their movements could not be quantified. Thus, the proposed ultrasound anatomical landmarks and the creation of a unified ultrasound protocol for the ultrasonography assessment of vocal cords mobility in the future can increase the effectiveness of the method and expand the scope of its application in medicine.
Publication date:
18.08.2022
Keywords:
ultrasound examination of the vocal cords, paresis of the larynx, paralysis of the larynx, thyroid surgery, thyroidectomy, recurrent laryngeal nerve. For citation:
Kuprin A. A., Komarova Zh. E., Vetsheva N. N., Argunova E. R., Malyuga N. S. Ultrasound assessment of vocal cord mobility: ultrasound anatomy and technique. Rossiiskaya otorinolaringologiya. 2022;21(4):8-28. https://doi.org/10.18692/1810-4800-2022-4-8-28