Using respiratory resistance values in diagnosis of paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion

Many adolescent athletes experience difficulty in breathing during sustained heavy exercise to the extent that they cannot continue exercising and often collapse. The condition which its symptoms include breathing difficulty and stridor during exercise is known as Exercise Induced Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion (EI-PVFM) and is frequently misdiagnosed for asthma and treated with asthmatic medication. The current “gold standard” for diagnosing EI-PVFM is the extensive and invasive laryngoscopy. We have developed a simple device, the Airflow Perturbation Device (APD) that can diagnose EI-PVFM rapidly and noninvasively. Twenty young subjects (11 to 18 years) who experienced severe breathing difficulties during exercise were entered the study. We have shown that the APD can noninvasively diagnose EI-PVFM as effectively the invasive laryngoscopy can.