otohns.net Conference Coverage AAO-HNSF & OTO Expo 2000

otohns.net Conference Coverage
Annual Meeting of the AAO-HNSF and Oto Expo
Washington, D.C - 2000

"Videostroboscopy "
otohns.net Laryngology Advisory Board Member, Albert Merati, MD with Dr. Blake Simpson
Audio/Video Link
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Dr. Albert Merati: “Hello, I’m Albert Merati, the Section Editor for the Laryngology section of otohns.net. I’m here today with Blake Simpson one of my colleagues, he’s Assistant Professor and Director of the Laryngeal Laboratory at the University of Texas San Antonio School of Medicine. Blake, I wanted to ask you some questions that might be interesting to our general viewership. What do you think the role is of videostroboscopy in a general otolaryngology practice?”

Dr. Blake Simpson: “I think, at least at this point, it’s still fairly limited. I don’t think most practitioners in general otolaryngology need videostroboscopy to successfully practice. It’s only helpful in a small number of areas.”

Dr. Albert Merati: “Could you give us some examples where you think a general laryngologist might find a use for videostroboscopy on a daily basis?”

Dr. Blake Simpson: “Something they’d see commonly, I think, would be helpful is leukoplakia. I think if you have people in your practice that have laryngeal leukoplakia, if you do videostroboscopy and the mucosal wave is present, that’s a relatively favorable prognosis. Those patients can often be treated with proton pump inhibitors, and you’ll have improvement. If the mucosal wave is absent, that’s obvious worrisome for cancer and those people need to go to surgery so it helps you sort out that problem. It’s very helpful if you’re seeing a number of singers. The problem with singers is they have such high demands that a tiny, tiny lesion or a tiny problem will cause difficulties, and you really need videostroboscopy to pick up those fine details like subtle bowing of the chords, maybe some pre-nodular edema, or perhaps a cyst. It’s very easy to miss a cyst on just routine fiberoptic laryngoscopy.”

Dr. Albert Merati: “What would your indications be for a videostroboscopy to be performed on one of your patients that you’re seeing in clinic?”

Dr. Blake Simpson: “It’s pretty basic, the first category is hoarseness that is unexplained by fiberoptic examination; that’s probably going to be your number one. The second is leukoplakia, as I mentioned before, and third, I would say is hoarseness after previous vocal chord surgery.”

Dr. Albert Merati: “To document the mobility and the dynamics of the mucosal wave.”

Dr. Blake Simpson: “It’s kind of your audiogram; the strobe is sort of like your audiogram for laryngology. It’s about the closest thing you have to objective data for pre- and post-operative outcomes.”

Dr. Albert Merati: “Good, thank you so much.”