Abstract
An electrophysiological examination normally includes the direct assessment of the nerve of interest and of its target muscles. Electrodiagnostics for the larynx are only well established for the investigation of the laryngeal muscles by laryngeal electromyography (LEMG). So far, techniques to investigate the nerves innervating the laryngeal muscles directly, for instance, by electric or magnetic stimulation of the recurrent nerve, do not produce reliable results or are only established in a few centers. Therefore, the focus of this chapter lies on LEMG. Although LEMG was established more than 60 years ago, many laryngologists do not routinely use even LEMG. Until recently, this was may be due to the continuous lack of agreement on methodology, interpretation, validity, and clinical application of LEMG. As a consequence, the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Neurolaryngology—and the working group on Neurolaryngology of the European Laryngological Society have published lately guidelines for the use of LEMG. The presentation of LEMG in this chapter is following these guidelines as it presents an update of the guideline of the European Laryngological Society. Furthermore, the basics and limitations of other electrodiagnostic tools are presented. The chapter concludes with an outlook on future perspectives of electrophysiological assessment of neurolaryngological disorders.
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Volk, G.F., Guntinas-Lichius, O. (2018). Electrophysiological Assessment. In: Sittel, C., Guntinas-Lichius, O. (eds) Neurolaryngology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61724-4_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61724-4_1
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