Overview
To diagnose vocal cord paralysis, your healthcare professional asks about your symptoms and lifestyle. Your care professional also listens to your voice and asks how long you’ve had voice changes. You also may need the following tests:
- Laryngoscopy. Your healthcare professional looks at your vocal cords using a mirror or a thin, flexible tube known as a laryngoscope or endoscope, or both. You also may have a test called videostrobolaryngoscopy. It uses a special scope that contains a tiny camera at its tip or a larger camera connected to the scope’s viewing piece.These special high-magnification endoscopes allow your healthcare professional to view your vocal cords directly or on a video monitor. The tests reveal the movement and position of the vocal cords. This can tell your healthcare professional whether one or both vocal cords are affected.
- Laryngeal electromyography. This test measures the electrical currents in your voice box muscles. To do this, small needles are inserted into the vocal cord muscles through the skin of the neck.This test isn’t used to guide treatment, but it may give an estimate about how well you may recover. This test is most useful when it’s done between six weeks and six months after your symptoms began.
- Blood tests and scans. Several diseases may cause nerve injuries. You may need additional tests to find the cause of the paralysis. Tests may include bloodwork, X-rays, MRI or CT scans.
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