Over the 8-year period 1971--1978, 743 benign lesions of the larynx, of which 551 were pseudotumors and 192 were benign neoplasms, were surgically treated at Groote Schuur Hospital. In comparison, during the same period 402 malignant tumours of the larynx were also seen. The commonest benign lesions were vocal cord nodules, almost exclusively found in women, and the vocal cord polyp, predominan...

Anterior cervical osteophytes are common and usually asymptomatic in elderly people. Due to mechanical compressions, inflammations, and tissues swelling of osteophytes, patients may be presented with multiple complications, such as dysphagia, dysphonia, dyspnea, and pulmonary aspiration. Paradoxical vocal cord motion is an uncommon disease characterized by vocal cord adductions during inspirati...

A retrospective study is reported on endoscopic CO(2)-laser microsurgery in 69 patients with histologically verified early vocal cord cancer. A flexible nasopharyngolaryngoscope (STORZ Co) was used for preoperative assessment and occasionally for postoperative follow-up.Six years of experience with this technique have led to endoscopic cordectomy, previously not accepted as a therapeutic method...

Factors responsible for major complications following thyroid surgery in 598 patients were studied. Patients with non toxic multinodular goiter involving both lobes of thyroid constituted the maximum bulk subjected to thyroidectomy. The most frequent procedure was bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy. Reactionary hemorrhage occurred in 6 patients, all following bilateral procedures and among them 5...

PURPOSE To report the management of a patient, with unilateral vocal cord paralysis, undergoing thyroplasty, under general anesthesia. CLINICAL FEATURES A 25-yr-old man developed hoarseness and occasional episodes of pulmonary aspiration, caused by unilateral vocal cord paralysis. He was scheduled for thyroplasty, in an attempt to ease phonation and to decrease or prevent further episodes of ...

Idiopathic bilateral vocal cord paralysis (VCP) is a rare and difficult condition often undiagnosed and frequently confused with asthma and other respiratory conditions. Accurate diagnosis is crucial since 80% of cases patients require surgical intervention, such as tracheostomy or laser surgery, to relieve symptoms. The "gold standard" for diagnosing VCP has been laryngoscopy. In this case stu...

We describe a patient with acute respiratory insufficiency and difficult ventilator weaning in the ICU ward, leading to diagnosis of small cell lung cancer with superior vena cava superior syndrome. Bilateral vocal cord paralysis caused his respiratory distress and weaning difficulties. Thyroidectomy and neurological problems (such as Parkinson disease and Guillain Barré syndrome) are more comm...

We present a rare case of bilateral vocal cord injury (BVCI) following anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACD/F) in a 47 year old man. The patient experienced post-extubation stridor and whispering voice in the recovery room. Clinical assessment led to the diagnosis of BVCI. The patient was treated by tracheostomy and made a full recovery. What is unique about this case is that the patie...

Introduction: As endotracheal intubation is the first action which must be done for serious and very ill patients , so any procrastination leads to dangerous consequences including aspiration and finally death. Routine method for endotracheal intubation is injection of intravascular diazepam- Pethidine and sometimes muscle relaxants , but these drugs in Patients with GCS under 7 cause more decr...

BACKGROUND Previous studies with long-term average spectrum (LTAS) showed the importance of the glottal source for understanding the projected voices of actresses. In this study, electroglottographic (EGG) analysis was used to investigate the contribution of the glottal source to the projected voice, comparing actresses and nonactresses' voices, in different levels of intensity. METHOD Thirty...