Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Apr 1996
Assessment of the infant airway with videorecorded flexible laryngoscopy and the objective analysis of vocal fold abduction.
Accurate diagnosis of upper airway abnormalities by flexible laryngoscopy in infants is hampered by rapid laryngeal motion and lack of patient cooperation. This study evaluates the added role of videorecorded flexible laryngoscopy and the objective measurement of vocal fold abduction in improving the diagnosis of upper airway abnormalities in infants. Seventy-eight infants had videorecorded flexible laryngoscopy performed as part of their evaluation of a suspected airway disorder. ⋯ Repeat viewing of the video examination and frame-by-frame analysis improve the diagnostic accuracy. Using this approach, we have calculated the anterior glottic abduction angle in the normal and abnormal infant larynx. In addition, we have identified a group of infants with incomplete abduction of the vocal folds that appears to be different from that found in vocal cord paralysis.