Editors: Andrew Blitzer, MD; Mitchell F. Brin, MD; and Lorraine O. Ramig, PhD
Publisher: Thieme – 240 pages
Book Review by: Nano Khilnani
Our nerves affect virtually every organ and structure of our bodies, including the larynx. While the established specialties – neurology and otolaryngology – cover our nervous, hearing, speech and related systems, neurolaryngology, the focus of this book, is about the interaction between them, and the disorders that occur sometimes.
Neurolaryngology is a relatively young subspecialty that sprung about 30 years ago. We could probably mark its beginning in 1989, the year when the Neurolaryngology Study Group had its first meeting.
Since that time, the editors point out, there has been an ‘explosive’ growth of knowledge with basic science research, surgical techniques, and technologies for diagnosis and treatment of disorders in this subspecialty, such as for example, laryngeal innervation and paralysis, and spasmodic dysphonia
Forty-three specialists in several areas such as airway management, audiology, communication disorders and sciences, neurology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery, speech language pathology, and speech and voice studies, from all around the United States and four other countries – Israel, Japan, Spain, and the United Kingdom – wrote the 20 chapters of this book.
The chapters are organized around three sections, namely:
- Physiology
- Clinical Evaluation
- Diseases and Treatment
The topics covered in the chapters are of a broad range. Some of them are: acoustic assessment of vocal function; anatomy of the larynx; arytenoid adduction; botulinum toxin treatment of spasmodic dysphonia; central laryngeal motor innervation; diagnosis and evaluation of laryngeal paralysis and paresis; electromyography of pharyngeal and laryngeal muscles; flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with sensory testing; laryngeal dysfunction in sleep; laryngeal sensory receptors;
Also: management of vocal fold incompetence with vocal fold injectable fillers; movement disorders of the larynx; neuromuscular disorders of the larynx; peripheral laryngeal motor innervations; physical examination of the larynx and videolaryngoscopy; pulmonary function evaluation; pyramidal disease; speech treatment for neurologic disorders; stroboscopic examination of the normal larynx; and vocal fold medialization
The first edition of this book appeared in 1992, but the vast expansion of information from research and advanced practice in this field warranted a second one, so this current 2nd edition was published in 2009. In particular, advances in these areas are incorporated in this book:
- Electroglottographic analysis
- High-speed laryngeal motion photography
- Laryngeal electromyography
- Laryngeal reinnervation
- Laryngeal videostroboscopy
- Laryngoplastic surgical procedures
- New knowledge in neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the larynx
This is an outstanding updated second edition of the Neurologic Disorders of the Larynx textbook which was first published in 1989. It contains much new information on the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment (including surgical techniques) of sensory and motor disorders of the larynx and associated structures that was not known when the first edition was published
Here are some key features of this book:
- New chapters covering laryngeal dysfunctions in sleep
- Comprehensive presentation of different management techniques of disorders
- Current information on movement disorders
- Nearly 100 drawings and photos demonstrating key concepts
A large number of specialists in associated fields contributed to the contents in this book, making it highly authoritative and very valuable for practitioners, trainees, students, as well as non-medical people in allied healthcare professions. It is a well-organized and expertly written volume that is also quite comprehensive in coverage.
Editors:
Andrew Blitzer, MD, DDS, FACS is Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University; and Director of the New York Center for Voice and Swallowing Disorders, and the New York Head and Neck Institute in New York, New York.
Mitchell F. Brin, MD is Clinical Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of California – Irvine; and Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Allergan, LLC in Irvine, California.
Lorraine O. Ramig, PhD, CCC-SLP is Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Science at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado; and Senior Scientist at the National Center for Voice and Speech in Denver, Colorado.
