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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffYour doctor will ask about your symptoms and lifestyle, listen to your voice, and ask you how long you've had voice problems. To further evaluate your voice problems, the following tests may be performed:
- Endoscopy. Your doctor will look at your vocal cords using a mirror or a thin, flexible tube (endoscope), or both. You may also have a test called videostrobolaryngoscopy that's done using a special scope that contains a tiny camera at its tip or a larger camera connected to the scope's viewing piece. These special endoscopes allow your doctor to view your vocal cords directly or on a video monitor to determine the movement and position of the vocal cords, and whether one or both vocal cords are affected.
- Laryngeal electromyography. This test measures the electric currents in your voice box muscles. By looking at the pattern of the currents, your doctor can determine the degree of the problem and what types of treatment may be most effective. To obtain these measurements, your doctor typically inserts small needles into your vocal cord muscles through the skin of the neck.
- Blood tests and scans. Because a number of diseases may cause a nerve to be injured, you may need additional tests to identify the cause of the paralysis. Tests may include blood work, lung function tests, X-rays, MRI or CT scans.
References
- Vocal cord paralysis. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/vocalparal.htm. Accessed Jan. 22, 2010.
- Vocal cord paralysis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec08/ch092/ch092g.html. Accessed Jan. 22, 2010.
- Fact sheet: Vocal cord paralysis. American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/vocalChordParalysis.cfm. Accessed Jan. 24, 2010.
- Wareing M, et al. Vocal cord paralysis. In: Lalwani AK. Current Diagnosis and Treatment in Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2827843. Accessed Jan. 21, 2010.
- Lustig LR, et al. Ear, nose, and throat disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 2010. 49th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2356. Accessed Jan. 21, 2010.
- Deckert J, et al. Vocal cord dysfunction. American Family Physician. 2010;81:156.
- Rubin RT, et al. Vocal fold paresis and paralysis. Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America. 2007;40:1109.
- Maragos NE (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 26, 2010.
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