From the Research
Role of Stroboscope in Diagnosing Reinke's Edema
- A stroboscope is used to examine the vocal folds and diagnose Reinke's edema, as seen in studies 1, 2, 3, 4
- Stroboscopy reveals a prolonged closed phase of the vibratory cycles and strikingly marked mucosal waves in patients with Reinke's edema 1
- Videostroboscopy is used to assess the vocal-fold vibration of patients with Reinke's edema, and it can be useful in examining the vocal folds, but it may be difficult to observe vocal-fold vibration correctly in patients with severe Reinke's edema 2
- Stroboscopic examinations demonstrate that the superficial lamina propria is distended primarily on the superior vocal fold surface in patients with Reinke's edema 3
Diagnostic Features of Reinke's Edema
- Reinke's edema is characterized by a marked bilateral subepithelial edema, which develops by degrees, as a non-specific reaction of the vocal folds to various irritative noxious agents 1
- The voice is low pitched and with various degrees of hoarseness in patients with Reinke's edema 1
- Hyperkinetic pattern of voice production can often be seen in patients with Reinke's edema, which is a compensatory result of reduced functional capability of the vocal folds 1
Comparison with Other Diagnostic Tools
- High-speed digital imaging (HSDI) is useful for examining the vocal folds of patients with severe Reinke's edema, and it can reveal complete glottic closure, anterior-posterior phase shift, and obvious contact of at least one side of the edematous true vocal fold with the ipsilateral false vocal fold 2
- Contact endoscopy is a non-invasive technique that allows a detailed scanning and mapping of all cell changes and vascularisation throughout the entire mucosa surface, and it can be used to diagnose Reinke's edema 5
- Rigid telescopy has the advantage of enabling the systematic observation of many details in the large area of both vocal fold mucosae, particularly when access to the larynx is difficult 5