Surgical treatment is effective in severe cases of exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction: A follow-up study

Abstract

Conclusions: Surgery is an effective treatment in severe cases of supraglottic exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (E-ILO). Conservatively treated subjects and subjects tested negative for E-ILO, who still experience breathing problems 1–3 years after diagnosis, tend to adjust their physical activity to a greater extent than surgically treated subjects. Objective: To investigate how symptoms and level of physical activity change over time in patients with E-ILO who have undergone surgery, patients with E-ILO treated conservatively and patients who tested negative for laryngeal obstruction at continuous laryngoscopy exercise-test (CLE-test). Methods: Patients referred for exercise-induced breathing difficulties answered questionnaires at diagnostic CLE-test and at follow-up. Questions regarded exercise-induced breathing problems, current physical activity level, and medical history of asthma and perennial allergy. Results: Out of 84 invited subjects, 59 (70%) answered both questionnaires. Surgically treated subjects had less breathing problems at follow-up compared with conservatively treated subjects and subjects who tested negative (p < 0.001). None of the surgically treated subjects were less physically active or had changed sport due to exercise-induced dyspnoea, whereas 41.7% of the conservatively treated subjects had made such adjustments (p < 0.001).

Keywords:

• Laryngoplasty
• exercice-induced dyspnoea
• vocal cord dysfunction
• physical activity
• E-ILO

Acknowledgment

Certified statistician Lisa Wernroth is greatly acknowledged for statistical analysis of our material. The study was approved by the ethics committee in Uppsala, Sweden dnr 2011/208. The Bror Hjerpstedt Foundation, and The Foundation Acta-Otolaryngologica funded this study.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.