Comparison between rigid telescopic and flexible fiberoptic laryngostroboscopy

Introduction: Stroboscopy can uncover significant laryngeal abnormalities in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Rigid telescope and flexible fiberscopy present differing advantages. Objective: To compare the stroboscopic findings observed using rigid telescopy to those obtained through fiberoptic examination. Methods: A prospective study was conducted in order to evaluate 36 patients with PD from January, 2018 to December, 2019. The HY – Degree of Disability Scale was adopted in order to assess individual patients’ levels of impairment. The patients included in this study were grouped- higher than 1.5 on the scale. There were 22 men and 14 women, with ages varying from 41 to 78. Three observers analyzed the recording data, with a protocol for stroboscopic evaluation being adopted. Results: Tremor, open phase closure and vocal fold bowing were the most common findings among patients. Aperiodic voice in 4 cases recommended against stroboscopic analysis. Strong gag reflex in another 3 cases, made evaluation with rigid telescope impossible. The irregularity of the edge, glottic closure, prevalence of the glottic cycle phase, amplitude; mucosal wave; vibratory behavior; phase symmetry, periodicity and movement extension were evaluated by both methods. The vibratory source was exclusively glottic in all cases. Conclusion: Videolaryngostroboscopy can be performed by means of both methods – rigid and fiberoptic examination.