Role of videoendoscopy in phoniatrics: data from three years of daily practice

Phoniatrics is the medical specialty involved in the management of communication and swallowing disorders. Videoendoscopy (VES) has an important role in the assessment of different disorders in phoniatrics clinical practice: the voice as well as the speech and swallowing mechanisms can be analysed through this procedure. Aim of the study is to describe videoendoscopic application in daily phoniatric practice: our data on the 1627 participants consecutively examined are reported. 2004 VES examinations were performed between March 1999 and December 2002. 1627 participants, 716 males and 911 females, were examined; their age ranged from 0.6 years to 97 years old. The following parameters were considered: a) function to be assessed through VES (voice, speech, swallowing, other); b) phoniatric nosological chapter in the participants with a recognized disease; c) age of the participant; d) job of the participant; d) medical discipline related to the disease identified. Three populations were analysed: the 1627 subject population, the populations requiring a phoniatric consultation for a voice and for a swallowing assessment. The participants examined endoscopically required a phoniatric consultation in order to have a voice or a swallowing assessment respectively in 67% and 20% of the cases. In 411 out of 1095 (37.5%) voice evaluations, no disorder was identified, while in most of the swallowing assessment (93.1%) a clear dysphagic disorder was visible. A bimodal distribution appeared in the 1627 participants and in the voice population with a first peak at age 20-40 and a second peak at age 50-70. In the swallowing population the number of participants examined seem to increase together with age. In the swallowing population pensioners and clerks represent almost 80% of the population; in the total and in the voice populations pensioners as well as teachers, singer and students are well represented. In most cases (52.5%) no clear disease was present. The two most represented areas of disease were otorhinolaryngology and neurology.