What's new in differential diagnosis and treatment of hoarseness?

PURPOSE: To review the literature published over the past year (2008) regarding the diagnosis and management of patients with hoarseness.

RECENT FINDINGS: There has been a lack of large, controlled, prospective studies regarding diagnosis and management for dysphonic patients. High-speed digital imaging is gradually becoming a useful adjunct to stroboscopy in patients with hoarseness and aperiodicity. Presence of blood vessels in vocal fold lesions may help distinguish otherwise similar entities. Early speech therapy has been useful for patients with suspected reflux who did not respond to an initial antacid trial. Voice break analysis can help differentiate between hyperfunctional speech disorders. Fibroblast growth factor may be an effective new treatment for presbylaryngis. Bilateral botox injection has been effective and well tolerated for refractory vocal granuloma and abductor spasmodic dysphonia.

SUMMARY: Hoarseness is a frequently encountered symptom that may result from many local and systemic disease processes. Differentiating subtle vocal fold pathologies and treatment of often ill-defined disorders remains a challenge. New approaches are described in the recent literature, but further studies are required for validation.