Observations in a cohort of infants with severe laryngeal dyskinesia: Auditory brainstem response may aid in the diagnosis

Abstract

Laryngeal dyskinesia is not a well defined clinical entity, and difficult to distinguish from some other laryngeal disorders. We report on the observations, especially auditory brainstem responses, in a series of infants with laryngeal dyskinesia. All infants with laryngeal dyskinesia, diagnosed in Sophia Children's Hospital between 1 January 2000 and 31 June 2003, were included in this retrospective case series study. Auditory brainstem responses were available in most infants. The respiratory, neurological and other symptoms, were recorded. Nine infants were diagnosed with laryngeal dyskinesia. Eight demonstrated severely abnormal auditory brainstem responses (ABR), indicating brainstem dysfunction. Most infants also had serious respiratory, and/or neurological disorders. It is hypothesized that laryngeal dyskinesia is a manifestation of a complex neurological disorder localized in the brainstem, comparable with brainstem dysgenesis syndrome. We suggest to use ABR in the diagnosis of unexplained laryngeal obstructive disorders to better define the pathology, and possibly the etiology of the disease.