Imaging Modalities for Identifying Causes of Vocal Fold Paralysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Faisal H Zagzoog, Hisham Almousa, Saif Almeshari et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed imaging detection of causes of vocal fold paralysis (VFP), drawing on 14 studies involving 1492 patients. Pooled detection prevalence for VFP causes was highest with MRI at 58.1%, followed by CT at 30.1% and ultrasound at 26.8%. For malignant causes, prevalence was highest with FDG PET/CT (41.5%) and MRI (40%), while CT had the lowest reported prevalence (17.1%). CT had the highest prevalence for detecting chest, head, and neck lesions among the modalities reported for those regions.
Key findings
- Overall VFP-cause detection prevalence was 58.1% with MRI, 30.1% with CT, and 26.8% with ultrasound.
- Malignant-cause identification prevalence was 41.5% with FDG PET/CT, 40% with MRI, and 17.1% with CT.
- For benign causes, reported prevalence was 10.8% with FDG PET/CT, 6.7% with MRI, and 4% with CT.
- CT had the highest reported prevalence for chest lesions (17.6%), head lesions (15%), and neck lesions (38.9%).
Why it matters
VFP can signal underlying disease, including malignancy, so imaging findings may inform the search for its cause. The pooled results suggest that detection prevalence differs by modality and by lesion location. This comparison can help clinicians interpret the diagnostic role of imaging options, while recognizing that prevalence estimates do not by themselves establish which test is best for an individual patient.
What to keep in mind
The review pooled prevalence estimates from 14 studies; the abstract does not report comparative diagnostic accuracy or study-level variation, limiting conclusions about which modality is superior.