Spindle-shaped glottal insufficiency with and without sulcus vocalis: a retrospective study

The clinical records of 186 patients with spindle-shaped glottal insufficiency were studied in order to evaluate the clinical background of the finding. The patients formed two main groups: those with and those without sulcus vocalis. Most of the sulcus patients were females, comparatively young at the onset of symptoms and at the time of diagnosis. In contrast, the majority of patients with spindle-shaped glottal insufficiency without sulcus were male and they often had a history of either laryngitis or chronic general disease causing decreased physical ability. Some patients in this group had long-standing symptoms, possibly caused by a disturbance in pubertal voice change. The data also indicate differences between the groups in vocal fold vibratory pattern. It is evident that the spindle-shaped glottal insufficiency observed in patients with and without sulcus has different causes and different pathophysiologic explanations.