Analysis of 1782 Pediatric Hoarseness Cases: A Clinical Retrospect Study

This study aims to clarify the clinical characteristics of pediatric voice disorders.

The clinical data of 1782 pediatric patients presenting with voice disorders were retrospectively analyzed. These cases were categorized into four age-based cohorts: 0-3, 4-7, 8-11, and 12-15years. Variables such as gender disparities, laryngoscopic manifestation, disease types, and acoustic parameters were thoroughly examined.

A total of 1782 children with acoustic hoarseness were included in this study, comprising 1325 males and 457 females. When the sex ratio among the children in each group was compared, males were found to outnumber females. A notable male predominance was observed across all age groups. Laryngoscopic results revealed that the most prevalent condition was vocal cord nodules (1363 cases, 76.48%), followed by vocal cord polyps (271 cases, 15.20%). Other diseases included laryngeal papillomas, vocal fold movement impairment, vocal cord cysts, functional dysphonia, leukoplakia of the vocal cords, and benign laryngeal tumors such as laryngeal amyloidosis and subglottic granular cell tumors. Among these, adenoid hypertrophy was presented in 382 children (21.44%). Additionally, the Reflux Finding Score (RFS) was conducted, and 799 cases (44.83%) were found to have a score above 7. The distribution of various diseases across different age groups indicated that children with vocal cord nodules (637 cases, 46.74%), vocal cord polyps (109 cases, 40.22%), and laryngeal papillomas (35, 36.84%) were predominantly found in the 4-7 years age group. Pediatric acute laryngitis (three cases, 75%) and vocal fold movement impairment (eight cases, 36.36%) were more common in the 0-3 years age group. Functional dysphonia (four cases, 66.67%) and vocal cord leukoplakia (four cases, 80%) were mainly observed in the 12-15 years age group, while vocal cord cysts were predominantly seen in the 8-11 years age group (four cases, 57.14%). A comparative analysis of acoustic parameters among 153 children showed statistically significant differences in jitter, fundamental frequency (F0), voice handicap index (VHI), reflux symptom index (RSI), and RFS across different pathologies.

This study highlighted that vocal cord nodules, vocal cord polyps, and laryngeal papillomas were the primary causes of pediatric hoarseness, although the possibility of tumors and rare diseases cannot be disregarded. There was a noticeable gender bias towards males, and functional dysphonia was significantly more prevalent in older children.