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Utility of computed tomography for identifying vocal fold motion impairment aetiology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2025

Boripat Hirunpat Open the ORCID record for Boripat Hirunpat [Opens in a new window] ,
Siriporn Hirunpat Open the ORCID record for Siriporn Hirunpat [Opens in a new window] ,
Nuttha Sanghan ,
Pornrujee Hirunpat  and
Wiwatana Tanomkiat
Boripat Hirunpat
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat-Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
Siriporn Hirunpat*
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat-Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
Nuttha Sanghan
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat-Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
Pornrujee Hirunpat
Affiliation:
Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Samut Prakan, Thailand
Wiwatana Tanomkiat
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat-Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
*
Corresponding author: Siriporn Hirunpat; Email: hirsirip@hotmail.com
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Abstract

Objectives

Although the role of computed tomography (CT) in vocal fold paralysis is well established, its utility in vocal fold motion impairment remains controversial. We aimed to examine the utility of CT in the aetiological assessment of patients with unexplained vocal fold motion impairment and to identify the underlying pathological causes.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the records of consecutive adults with vocal fold motion impairment who underwent neck CT between June 2010 and March 2023. The CT findings were correlated with management and final diagnoses.

Results

Computed tomography helped to identify the cause of vocal fold motion impairment in 119 of 177 patients (diagnostic yield, 67.23 per cent). The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of CT in detecting the underlying causes of vocal fold motion impairment were 96.05, 99.17 and 89.47 per cent, respectively. The leading cause of vocal fold motion impairment was malignancy, followed by idiopathic disease.

Conclusion

Computed tomography is highly recommended in patients with unexplained vocal fold motion impairment because of its high accuracy and high diagnostic yield.

Information

Type
Main Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , First View , pp. 1 - 8
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED.

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Footnotes

Siriporn Hirunpat takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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