Direct laryngoscopy using a videogastroscope: outcome of 119 cases

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Direct laryngoscopy is crucial for diagnosing supraglottic and laryngeal pathology.
• Fibreoptic or videolaryngoscopes are not always readily available for this examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of a videogastroscope as an alternative to standard laryngoscopes for laryngeal lesion assessment.
• To determine the safety and efficacy of videogastroscope-assisted laryngoscopy.

Main Methods:

• Patients with unsatisfactory indirect laryngoscopy underwent examination with a videogastroscope.
• Oropharynx and hypopharynx were anesthetized with lidocaine spray.
• Still and dynamic images were recorded under supervision.

Main Results:

• The study included 76 males and 43 females (mean age 44 years).
• Abnormalities were detected in 62.2% of patients (74 individuals).
• Common findings included vocal cord polyps/nodules (28), laryngitis/ulcers (16), and supraglottic/pyriform fossa growths (13 and 10, respectively).

Conclusions:

• Direct laryngoscopy using a videogastroscope is a safe, effective, and easily performed technique.
• This method is highly beneficial when indirect laryngoscopy is challenging or specialized equipment is inaccessible.