Diagnostic Tests for Hoarse

Diagnostic Test list for Hoarse:

The list of diagnostic tests mentioned in various sources as used in the diagnosis of Hoarse includes:

• Physical examination
  • Laryngoscopic examination (if hoarseness is chronic) to identify any lesions of the vocal cords such as cancer, singer's nodes, polyps, tuberculosis or syphilis. It will also identify vocal cord paralysis due to cancer of the lung, aortic aneurysm, enlarged heart or other chest tumors
  • A normal laryngoscopic examination may suggest hysteria, myxoedema due to hypothyroidism or Acromegaly
  • Feel cervical lymph nodes for enlarged lymph nodes full neurological examination. If any abnormalities may suggest peripheral neuropathy, poliomyelitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, brain stem tumor or cerebrovascular disease
• Blood tests
  • Full blood count and ESR
  • Thyroid function tests (to detect hypothyroidism)
  • C1 Esterase inhibitor level, if vocal cords are found to be swollen on laryngoscopic examination and suspect angioedema
  • Acetylcholine receptor antibodies - if hoarseness is intermittent and suspect myasthenia gravis.
• Nose culture
  • Sputum collection - for microscopy and culture, if sputum is available.
• Radiological investigations
  • Chest X-Ray (if vocal cord paralysis is found on laryngoscopic examination)
  • CT Scan of chest (if vocal cord paralysis is found on laryngoscopic examination)
  • CT or MRI Brain if abnormalities are found on neurological Examination
  • Thyroid ultrasound scan, to detect thyroid cancer that may cause vocal cord paralysis due to recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy
  • Thyroid radioisotope scan, if suspect thyroid cancer on ultrasound scan
• Tensilon test (edrophonium) test
  • If hoarseness is intermittent and suspect myasthenia gravis

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