Exercise-induced Laryngomalacia Research Articles

Exercise-Induced Dyspnea in Children and Adolescents: Differential Diagnosis.

Exercise-induced dyspnea in children and adolescents can occur for many reasons. Although asthma is the common cause, failure to prevent exercise-induced asthma by pretreatment with a bronchodilator, such as albuterol, indicates that other etiologies should be considered. Other causes of exercise-induced dyspnea include exercise-induced vocal cord dysfunction, exercise-induced laryngomalacia, exercise-induced hyperventilation, chest wall restrictive abnormalities, cardiac causes, and normal physiologic limitation. When exercise-induced dyspnea is not from asthma, cardiopulmonary exercise testing with reproduction of the patient's dyspnea is the means to identify the other causes. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing monitors oxygen use, carbon-dioxide production, end-tidal pCO2 (partial pressure of carbon dioxide), and electrocardiogram. Additional components to testing are measurement of blood pH and pCO2 when symptoms are reproduced, and selective flexible laryngoscopy when upper airway obstruction is observed to specifically identify vocal cord dysfunction or laryngomalacia. This approach is a highly effective means to identify exercise-induced dyspnea that is not caused by asthma. [Pediatr Ann. 2019;48(3):e121-e127.].

Exercise-induced vocal cord dysfunction and exercise-induced laryngomalacia in children and adolescents: the same clinical syndrome?

BackgroundExercise-induced respiratory symptoms associated with paradoxical laryngeal motion are relatively common and often mistaken for asthma. Exercise-induced vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) and exercise-induced laryngomalacia (LM) have been described separately in the literature but have never been systematically compared. ObjectiveTo compare subjects with a confirmed diagnosis of exercise-induced VCD or exercise-induced LM by performing a retrospective chart review of subjects who had symptoms provoked by a free running exercise challenge and documented concurrent paradoxical laryngeal motion. MethodsDemographic and clinical characteristics were analyzed in patients with confirmed paradoxical motion of the vocal cords (VCD) and those with paradoxical arytenoid motion without abnormal vocal cord movement (LM) during symptoms. ResultsSixty subjects with exercise-induced LM and 83 subjects with exercise-induced VCD were identified. Subjects with confirmed exercise-induced VCD were slightly older, had a higher body mass index, and higher grade point averages compared with subjects with exercise-induced LM without abnormal vocal cord movement. There were no differences in sex distribution, presenting symptoms, reported aggravating factors other than exercise, atopic status, confirmed bronchospasm during symptoms, mean number of asthma controller medications at time of evaluation, level of athletic competition, reported history of acid reflux, reported history of psychiatric disorders, baseline lung function, or lung function during symptoms. Most subjects were not “elite” athletes and did not have a history of anxiety or depression. ConclusionThere were remarkably few differences between subjects with exercise-induced VCD and those with exercise-induced LM. Prospective controlled studies are needed to determine whether exercise-induced VCD and exercise-induced LM are in fact distinct syndromes.

Asthma in Elite Athletes: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, Differential Diagnoses, and Treatment

Elite athletes have a high prevalence of asthma and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Although respiratory symptoms can be suggestive of asthma, the diagnosis of asthma in elite athletes cannot be based solely on the presence or absence of symptoms; diagnosis should be based on objective measurements, such as the eucapnic voluntary hyperpnea test or exercise test. When considering that not all respiratory symptoms are due to asthma, other diagnoses should be considered. Certain regulations apply to elite athletes who require asthma medication for asthma. Knowledge of these regulations is essential when treating elite athletes. This article is aimed at physicians who diagnose and treat athletes with respiratory symptoms. It focuses on the pathogenesis of asthma and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in elite athletes and how the diagnosis can be made. Furthermore, treatment of elite athletes with asthma, anti-doping regulations, and differential diagnoses such as exercise-induced laryngomalacia are discussed.

Use of post‐exercise laryngoscopy to evaluate exercise induced dyspnea

We present the case of a child with asthma who continued to have marked exercise induced dyspnea despite appropriate treatment, and in the face of adequate control of all other asthma symptoms. Spirometry showed a marked truncation of inspiratory flow, and laryngoscopy performed immediately after exercise showed laryngomalacia with dynamic, partial inspiratory obstruction. Exercise induced laryngomalacia (EIL) is a rare cause of exercise induced dyspnea which is diagnosed by post exercise flexible laryngoscopy and may require supraglottoplasty.

Exercise-induced laryngeal obstructions objectively assessed using EILOMEA

We describe a diagnostic software measuring tool (EILOMEA) to objectively describe images obtained by the continuous laryngoscopic exercise (CLE) test, and assess the reproducibility and clinical applications of this tool for the diagnosis of exercise-induced laryngomalacia (EIL) and exercise-induced vocal cord dysfunction (EI-VCD). A total of 97 subjects, 14-24 years of age, were tested with a CLE test. For each laryngoscopic recording, the severity of EIL and/or EI-VCD was assessed by an expert and compared with data obtained using EILOMEA. For both EIL and EI-VCD, a separate objective factor was found describing the degree of laryngeal obstruction by measuring cross-sectional areas of the inspiratory laryngeal images. A threshold value was set giving the diagnosis of EI-VCD, with a sensitivity of 0.65, a specificity of 0.96, a positive-predictive value of 0.79, and a negative-predictive value of 0.93. The threshold set for diagnosing EIL gave sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative-predictive value of 1.00. EIL and EI-VCD show different objective findings confirming that they are two separate conditions both causing laryngeal obstruction. The use of the CLE test is mandatory, because this is the only way to differ between the two conditions and EILOMEA gives the diagnosis and the degree of obstruction objectively.

Late-Onset Laryngomalacia

To identify and describe the features of laryngomalacia (LM) in a cohort of older children, with the goal of providing an approach to diagnosis and management of these patients. Laryngomalacia is a common congenital disorder characterized by decreased laryngeal tone, supraglottic collapse, and stridor during inspiration and is rarely seen in older children. However, the presence of LM in this population may be obscured by related but uncommon clinical features. Prospective collection and retrospective evaluation of older children with evidence of LM from 1998 to 2005. Two tertiary pediatric institutions. Prospective data collection of 239 patients with LM, including 222 with congenital LM and 17 diagnosed as having LM when they were older than 2 years and without a medical history of prior disease or symptoms-late-onset LM (mean age at onset, 6.6 years). Supraglottoplasty. Symptom improvement. Patients with late-onset LM were classified into 3 categories according to their symptom complex; those presenting with feeding-disordered LM (n = 7; mean age at onset, 3.3 years), sleep-disordered LM (n = 7; mean age at onset, 6.3 years), and exercise-induced LM (n = 3; mean age at onset, 15 years). Stridor was rarely present except in patients with exercise-induced LM during strenuous activity. Profound arytenoid redundancy and prolapse was discovered in all patients during nasolaryngeal endoscopy. Typical anatomic features of congenital LM (shortened aryepiglottic folds or retroflexed epiglottis) were not discovered. No patient had a history of neuromuscular disease. Supra-arytenoid reduction (supraglottoplasty) led to clinical cure in all patients (mean duration of follow-up, 7.4 months). Prior adenotonsillectomies were performed in 5 patients with sleep-disordered LM. This did not improve symptoms, and these patients displayed evidence of LM as the source of obstruction. Physicians should consider late-onset LM as a potential cause of feeding difficulties in toddlers, sleep apnea in children, and exercise intolerance in teenagers. As in infants with LM, supraglottoplasty improves late-onset disease.

Pseudo-asthma: When Cough, Wheezing, and Dyspnea Are Not Asthma

Although asthma is the most common cause of cough, wheeze, and dyspnea in children and adults, asthma is often attributed inappropriately to symptoms from other causes. Cough that is misdiagnosed as asthma can occur with pertussis, cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia, airway abnormalities such as tracheomalacia and bronchomalacia, chronic purulent or suppurative bronchitis in young children, and habit-cough syndrome. The respiratory sounds that occur with the upper airway obstruction caused by the various manifestations of the vocal cord dysfunction syndrome or the less common exercise-induced laryngomalacia are often mischaracterized as wheezing and attributed to asthma. The perception of dyspnea is a prominent symptom of hyperventilation attacks. This can occur in those with or without asthma, and patients with asthma may not readily distinguish the perceived dyspnea of a hyperventilation attack from the acute airway obstruction of asthma. Dyspnea on exertion, in the absence of other symptoms of asthma or an unequivocal response to albuterol, is most likely a result of other causes. Most common is the dyspnea associated with normal exercise limitation, but causes of dyspnea on exertion can include other physiologic abnormalities including exercise-induced vocal cord dysfunction, exercise-induced laryngomalacia, exercise-induced hyperventilation, and exercise-induced supraventricular tachycardia. A careful history, attention to the nature of the respiratory sounds that are present, spirometry, exercise testing, and blood-gas measurement provide useful data to sort out the various causes and avoid inappropriate treatment of these pseudo-asthma clinical manifestations.

Laryngomalacia induced by exercise in a pediatric patient

Exercise-induced laryngomalacia (EIL) is characterized by inspiratory stridor that is brought on by exercise (i.e. competitive sports) and fails to respond to treatment with bronchodilators (Smith et al., Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1995;104:537–541). During exercise, (1) spirometric flow volume loops show evidence of variable extrathoracic obstruction, and (2) laryngoscopy shows inspiratory prolapse of supraglottic structures with partial glottic obstruction. Only five cases of probable EIL have been reported in the literature (Smith et al., Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1995;104:537–541; Lakin et al., Chest 1984;86:499–501; Bittleman et al., Chest 1994;106:615–616; Bent et al., Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1996;105:169–175; Chemery et al., Rev Mal Respir 2002;19:641–643). Here, a case of laryngomalacia induced by exercise in a previously asymptomatic 10-year-old athlete with a remote history of laryngomalacia in infancy is presented, and a review of previously reported cases is provided.

Adult laryngomalacia: An uncommon clinical entity

A 27-year-old female presented with a several-day history of acute onset inspiratory stridor and shortness of breath that worsened with phonation and minimal exertion. Flexible fiberoptic direct laryngoscopy revealed prolapse of the mucosa overlying the arytenoid cartilages bilaterally, consistent with type 1 laryngomalacia. These symptoms persisted with only minimal improvement despite administration of short-term corticosteroids, several weeks of antireflux medications, and other conservative measures. The patient underwent a supraglottoplasty and exhibited a marked improvement in her symptoms. The literature describes several cases of exercise-induced laryngomalacia in both pediatric and adult populations in which symptoms of inspiratory stridor and shortness of breath are induced by exercise but resolve upon its discontinuation. Adult laryngomalacia appears to be a clinical entity distinct from exercise-induced laryngomalacia because symptoms fail to resolve after several weeks of medical therapy and discontinuation of exertional activity. This case suggests that adult laryngomalacia, unlike pediatric and exercise-induced laryngomalacia, is less likely to resolve over time with conservative management and may require surgical intervention with supraglottoplasty necessary to alleviate symptoms. (This is a US government work. There are no restrictions on its use.)

The Larynx During Exercise

To develop a system capable of observing the larynx during various body movements and to investigate the relation between upper limb movements and laryngeal closure, often referred as "airtrapping." An endoscope capable of observing the larynx during various body movements was developed and the laryngeal state was monitored during these movements in three subjects. The output of 12 subjects' forearms was recorded with and without laryngeal closure. The larynx was observable even during extreme exercises such as horizontal bar exercises and vault exercises. Laryngeal closure was almost always seen during the beginning of maximum effort of the upper limbs. During constant effort, the state of the larynx varied. When the output of the upper limbs was compared with and without laryngeal closure, there was an average of 20% power loss. This study suggests four possible uses for this system. 1) The system could be useful to evaluate laryngeal disorders during exercise such as exercise-induced laryngomalacia. 2) The results could be used to improve the pushing exercise, a voice therapy technique. 3) The status of patients with incomplete laryngeal closure in connection with the upper limbs could be evaluated more thoroughly. 4) The technique and equipment could be used to observe the larynges during normal vocal processes that require body movement.

Pediatric exercise-induced laryngomalacia.

Laryngomalacia is a well-recognized cause of airway obstruction and inspiratory stridor in infants. As children grow and become more active, laryngomalacia may manifest in different, unexpected ways. Otherwise healthy athletes may generate enough inspiratory force to draw the aryepiglottic folds into the endolarynx, causing a subtotal glottic obstruction. This problem may be overlooked or attributed to asthma, lack of fitness, or functional abnormalities. The purpose of this report is to review the prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of exercise-induced laryngomalacia (EIL) in children and young adults. To study the incidence and diagnosis of this disorder, we examined 10 healthy volunteers. Fiberoptic laryngoscopy was used to videotape each subject's larynx during active exercise on a stationary bicycle. All volunteers demonstrated altered laryngeal dynamics with exercise, and 1 of the 10 volunteers developed laryngomalacia. Anatomically, it appears that the aryepiglottic fold serves as the critical point of obstruction. When symptomatic, laryngomalacia may be treated with supraglottoplasty. We have had experience with 2 EIL patients in the last 12 months who have undergone carbon dioxide laser microlaryngoscopy. Both patients benefited significantly from surgery. We conclude that EIL is underdiagnosed but responds well to treatment.