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Background: Isolated tracheobronchial mucormycosis (ITBM) is an uncommonly reported entity. Herein, we report a case of ITBM following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and perform a systematic review of the literature. Case description and systematic review: A 45-year-old gentleman with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus presented with cough, streaky haemoptysis, and hoarseness of voice 2 weeks after mild COVID-19 illness. Computed tomography and flexible bronchoscopy suggested the presence of a tracheal mass, which was spontaneously expectorated. Histopathological examination of the mass confirmed invasive ITBM. The patient had complete clinical and radiological resolution with glycaemic control, posaconazole, and inhaled amphotericin B (8 weeks). Our systematic review of the literature identified 25 additional cases of isolated airway invasive mucormycosis. The median age of the 26 subjects (58.3% men) was 46 years. Diabetes mellitus (79.2%) was the most common risk factor. Uncommon conditions such as anastomosis site mucormycosis (in two lung transplant recipients), post-viral illness (post-COVID-19 [n = 3], and influenza [n = 1]), and post-intubation mucormycosis (n = 1) were noted in a few. Three patients died before treatment initiation. Systemic antifungals were used in most patients (commonly amphotericin B). Inhalation (5/26;19.2%) or bronchoscopic instillation (1/26;3.8%) of amphotericin B and surgery (6/26;23.1%) were performed in some patients. The case-fatality rate was 50%, primarily attributed to massive haemoptysis. Conclusion: Isolated tracheobronchial mucormycosis is a rare disease. Bronchoscopy helps in early diagnosis. Management with antifungals and control of risk factors is required since surgery may not be feasible. © 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 infection has many manifestations, including otolaryngological symptoms. CASE PRESENTATION: A 60-year-old man with severe dyspnea underwent endotracheal intubation followed by 68 h of mechanical ventilation. After extubation, he left the ICU without any significant complications. Four days after the extubation, he developed dyspnea, which deteriorated the next 2 days, and stridor became evident. A fiberoptic laryngoscope revealed bilateral vocal cord edema and paralysis, which required an emergency airway. We decided to perform an awake tracheostomy under local anesthesia while considering protection for airborne infection to healthcare providers. The tracheostomy was closed when the edema and paralysis of the vocal cords were ameliorated. CONCLUSIONS: A COVID-19 patient who underwent injurious ventilation developed vocal cord paralysis and edema 6 days after extubation, leading to an emergency tracheostomy. Close attention to the upper airway of COVID-19 patients is essential since the pathophysiology of the present incident may be specific to the viral infection.
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Objectives: Laryngeal complications have been reported after endotracheal intubation and prone positioning in patients with critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but their association is unclear. In this study, we investigated the rate of laryngeal complications in patients with COVID-19 compared to an alternative condition (control group). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 40 patients who underwent endotracheal intubation for either COVID-19 or an alternative condition (control group). Data on age, sex, body mass index (BMI), cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, use of prone therapy, duration of endotracheal intubation, and duration from extubation/tracheostomy to laryngeal evaluation were collected from medical records. Results: There were no significant differences in BMI, frequency of CVD risk factors, duration of endotracheal intubation, or duration from extubation/tracheostomy to laryngeal evaluation between the two groups. In the COVID-19 group, all patients adopted the prone position. In comparison, only one patient in the control group adopted the prone position. Significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding the incidence of vocal fold immobility and laryngeal granuloma. Conclusion: Laryngeal complications were more common in the COVID-19 group than in the control group. Prone positioning may be a risk factor for these complications. Level of Evidence: 4.
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Introduction: Critically ill patients intubated in the intensive care unit experience prolonged intubation leading to increased frequency of laryngeal injuries, and there is an increasing need for intubation and mechanical ventilation currently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to fill the literature gaps regarding the incidence of laryngeal injury following prolonged intubation due to COVID-19. Method(s): This study is a retrospective review of patients with swallowing, voice, or airway concerns identified by their primary physician or speech-language pathologist who were evaluated using flexible laryngoscopy from August 14, 2020, to August 18, 2021. A total of 25 patients with COVID-19 and 27 patients without COVID-19 were included. Specific injuries evaluated for were edema/erythema, granulation tissue/ ulceration, posterior glottic stenosis, subglottic stenosis, vocal cord immobility, and vocal cord paralysis. Severe lesions were those that caused significant airway obstruction or required operative treatment or tracheostomy dependence. Result(s): Within the COVID-19 group, 80% of patients had laryngeal injury, with 45% of these in the severe category. In the non-COVID-19 group, 62.9% of patients had a laryngeal injury, with 23.5% being severe. Mild injuries were seen in 44% of COVID-19 patients and 48% of non-COVID-19 patients. The most common injury category seen was granulation tissue/ulceration. Patients with severe injuries were intubated for 6 to 39 days (mean 14.8), those with mild injuries were intubated for 0 to 31 days (mean 10.4), and patients with no injuries were intubated for 0 to 34 days (mean 9.53). Conclusion(s): Patients who were intubated for COVID-19 were more likely to have severe clinically significant laryngeal injuries than non-COVID-19 patients, even when they were intubated for similar amounts of time. Interestingly, the incidence of mild injuries was similar between the 2 groups. Based on these results, it may be beneficial to have a lower threshold for performing flexible laryngoscopy on postintubated COVID-19 patients to evaluate for laryngeal injury. This would allow for earlier intervention and, it is hoped, reduction of morbidity.
ABSTRACT
Management with ventilation is used for severe cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). After extubation, recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis due to various factors may occur. Almost all cases of paralysis develop unilaterally; however, bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis occurs rarely. Such cases may be fatal due to upper air obstruction, and patients are forced to adhere to restrictions after a tracheotomy. The present case illustrates bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis that occurred 48 hours after withdrawal from the ventilator. A 75-year-old woman with a history of hypertension came to our hospital with a history of fever and cough for five days. She was diagnosed with pneumonia due to COVID-19 via polymerase chain reaction using her saliva, and ground-glass opacity was found in both lung fields on chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT). Mechanical ventilation, steroids, remdesivir, and baricitinib were administered. The patient's fever and oxygenation status improved with these treatments, and she was weaned from the ventilator on the eighth day of hospitalization. She had no symptoms immediately. However, 48 hours after extubation, bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis was suspected. Thus, oral intubation was immediately introduced and a tracheostomy was performed. Vocal cord movement disorders continued for eight weeks, and during that period, the patient displayed hoarseness and suffered from dysphagia. We considered that nerve disorders from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in addition to the compression by the endotracheal tube, caused bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis. The neural injury by SARS-CoV-2 may prolong and manifest as "Long COVID."
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Glomus tumors are benign neoplasms that can be observed in the head and neck region. Because of their critical anatomical location, the management of patients may require consultation from multiple departments. Glomus tumors affecting the middle ear may cause various symptoms including hearing loss and tinnitus. Our aim in presenting this case report is to share our treatment method for tinnitus caused by jugular glomus tumor and to emphasize the benefit of applying an individual therapy approach, especially in patients with reduced options for getting help during the pandemic period.
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Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is an important complication following thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Recently, Transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasound (TLUSG) has emerged as a non-invasive alternative to laryngoscopic examination for vocal cord (VC) assessment. The aim of the systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine its diagnostic accuracy in reference to laryngoscopy. It was conducted in accordance with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane library and Web of Science databases were searched to identify relevant articles. Sixteen studies were included in the review. Pooled diagnostic accuracy was calculated based on weighted arithmetic mean and plotting forest plot. The pooled visualization rate was 86.28% and 94.13% preoperatively and postoperatively, respectively. The respective pooled sensitivity and specificity was 78.48% and 98.28%, and 83.96% (CI 95%: 77.24-88.50%) and 96.15% (CI 95%: 95.24-96.88%). The diagnostic accuracy improved if transverse and lateral approaches, and valsalva maneuver were utilized. Male gender and older age were the most crucial risk factors for VC non-visualization. TLUSG is an efficacious screening tool for vocal cord palsy due to its high sensitivity. It is likely to prevent unnecessary laryngoscopic examination in around 80% of patients, with the potential for becoming a gold standard for specific (female/young) patient cohort through assimilative modifications use, increasing expertise and development of objective measurements in the future.
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Although the most common neuro-otolaryngological findings associated with COVID-19 infection are chemosensory changes, it should be known that these patients may present with different clinical findings. We present a 57-year-old woman who developed progressive hoarseness while suffering from COVID-19 infection without a history of chronic disease or any other etiological cause. Laryngeal fiberscopy revealed left vocal cord fixed at the cadaveric position and there was a 5-6-mm intraglottic gap during phonation. No other etiological causes were found in the examinations performed with detailed ear-nose-throat examination, neurological evaluations, and imaging methods. Injection laryngoplasty was applied to the patient, and voice therapy was initiated, resulting in significant improvement in voice quality. The mechanism of the idiopathic vocal cord paralysis remains unclear; it is suspected to be related to COVID-19 neuropathy, because the patient had no pre-existing vascular risk factors or evidence of other neurologic diseases on neuroimaging. Laryngeal nerve palsies may represent part of the neurologic spectrum of COVID-19. When voice changes occur in patients during COVID 19 infection, the possibility of vocal cord paralysis due to peripheral nerve damage caused by the SARS-CoV-2 should be considered.
ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has quickly become a global pandemic since its initial outbreak in China in late 2019. Institutions are faced with the challenge of upholding the standard of care while maintaining safety for health care personnel and patients. Due to the common performance of aerosol-generating endoscopic procedures in the upper respiratory tract, otolaryngologists are at uniquely high risk for potential infection. When possible, alternative diagnostic and treatment strategies should be pursued. For patients suspected of having functional laryngeal abnormalities, transcervical laryngeal ultrasound provides a rapid and noninvasive evaluation of vocal fold motion to inform decisions about safety of feeding, airway, and progression of care.