Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the comparability of flexible endoscopy to rigid endoscopy in the examination of rabbit vocal folds in vivo. This work was conducted within a larger parent project that has investigated the adverse effects of combination inhaled corticosteroids (ICs) on voice function in animal models and humans. In this study, both flexible and rigid vocal fold imaging was performed on eight rabbits; four having received ICs and four that were from control conditions. Original recordings were examined frame-by-frame to identify similar views, zoomed in and zoomed out, for flexible and rigid samples. Images were extracted, cropped, and placed in a slide presentation for purposes of visual-perceptual ratings. Two board-certified laryngologists from the parent project performed ratings that included the following: (a) superiority or equivalence (>, <, or =) of randomized rigid and flexible images; (b) erythema severity using a visual analog scale (VAS) for all randomized images; and (c) edema severity using VAS for all randomized images. Each rating was performed twice, in random order, for purposes of computing interjudge and intrajudge reliability. The results indicated that images from rigid endoscopy were of superior quality than those from flexible endoscopy. Additionally, the magnitude of severity ratings was greater for flexible versus rigid images. These findings offer confirmatory evidence that rigid endoscopy remains the preferred method for endoscopic analysis; however, flexible endoscopy is a novel, viable alternative that permits reliable visual-perceptual analysis during in vivo small animal voice research.

Degree

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Communication Disorders

Rights

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