What is Reinke Oedema?
What is Reinke Oedema?
Reinke’s Oedema occurs where the surface of the vocal folds fill with fluid, becoming swollen and distended. Swelling is usually bilateral and symmetrical, but can occur on one vocal fold more than the other. You may have seen an image of your swollen vocal folds during nasendoscopy.
What causes Reinke edema?
Reinke’s edema is caused by vocal fold irritation from voice misuse, smoking, and/or conditions that irritate the vocal folds, such as backflow of stomach fluids to the voice box (laryngopharyngeal reflux).
Can Reinke’s edema be cured?
If Reinke’s edema fails to improve sufficiently following smoking cessation, microlaryngoscopic surgery is the main treatment option. Surgery for Reinke’s edema has unique difficulties, because the superficial lamina propria must be reduced – but not excessively, in order to preserve vibration of the vocal fold.
How is Reinke’s edema diagnosed?
Reinke’s edema is often diagnosed by an Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) specialist or an Otolaryngologist by examination of the vocal cords. First, the doctor will review the patient’s medical history and symptoms, such as hoarseness, dysphonia, and reduced vocal range.
Is Reinke’s edema precancerous?
Reinke’s edema is a benign polypoid degeneration affecting vocal folds. Cigarette smoke is the primary risk factor.
Is Reinke’s edema reversible?
Conclusions: Abnormalities caused by smoking in Reinke’s edema in women are not fully reversible with surgery and smoking cessation.
How edema is treated?
Compression stockings
- Movement. Moving and using the muscles in the part of your body affected by edema, especially your legs, may help pump the excess fluid back toward your heart.
- Elevation.
- Massage.
- Compression.
- Protection.
- Reduce salt intake.
Is Reinke’s edema serious?
In fact, this complaint is one of the main reasons why more women than men with Reinke’s edema seek medical care. In rare cases, Reinke’s edema can progress to such a severe level that the enlarged vocal folds cause narrowing of the airway, causing breathing difficulties.
Is Reinke’s edema permanent?
Reinke’s edema develops slowly. Reinke’s edema is usually identified in patients age 40 and 60 years. However, since Reinke’s edema is a gradual, progressive condition, newly diagnosed patients have actually been experiencing the build-up of gelatinous fluid within their vocal folds for many years.
What is Puberphonia?
Puberphonia (also known as mutational falsetto, functional falsetto, incomplete mutation, adolescent falsetto, or pubescent falsetto) is a functional voice disorder that is characterized by the habitual use of a high-pitched voice after puberty, hence why many refer to the disorder as resulting in a ‘falsetto’ voice.
Is there a second line treatment for Reinke’s edema?
There are two approaches two second-line treatment. If hoarseness and other voice complaints persist after treating the underlying causes of Reinke’s edema, surgical removal of Reinke’s edema material within the vocal folds may be necessary.
Are there any side effects after a tubal ligation?
For some there are no issues after the tubal ligation and these women are very happy with the decision they have made. For others something dreadful begins to take place. There is a name for the many symptoms that take place after a woman has had a tubal ligation. This is what many call Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome.
Where does the fluid in Reinke’s edema come from?
Reinke’s edema is the swelling of the vocal cords due to fluid ( edema) collected within the Reinke’s space. First identified by the German anatomist Friedrich B. Reinke in 1895, the Reinke’s space is a gelatinous layer of the vocal cord located underneath the outer cells of the vocal cord.
When does Reinke’s edema occur on both vocal cords?
This slows the vocal cord vibration, which results in a deepened and hoarse voice. Because men normally have a lower voice than women, the change is more noticeable in women. Edema usually occurs on both vocal cords. This is known as bilateral Reinke’s edema.