LATVIA — Electromyography examination of laryngeal muscles was performed for the first patients in Latvia at the “Association of Health Centers” Neuro Clinic. Such a modern outpatient examination was carried out thanks to the coordinated cooperation of two specialty doctors – an otolaryngologist and a neurologist-electromyography specialist. This is important in determining the cause and treatment options for voice loss or other changes.
Electromyography is a method of recording muscle biopotentials with needle electrodes while the patient is at rest and performing a muscle-activating movement. Electromyography examination of laryngeal muscles is important for finding out the cause of voice changes and also for therapy.
Alise Adoviča, otorhinolaryngologist: “We have performed electromyography of the larynx muscle for the first patients. The success of this examination lies in the cooperation between two specialists and the active participation of the patient himself. In order for any muscles, including those in the larynx, to move, they need an impulse coming from a nerve. If the muscle does not move, it is not always possible to discover the reason without further investigation. However, by performing electromyography and analyzing the obtained data, it is possible to specify why the reduced or increased activity of the muscle is observed. For example, the patient has spasmodic dysphonia – a change in the voice that results from increased activity of the vocal muscles, tightening even at rest. Electromyography of laryngeal muscles is necessary to clarify the diagnosis, as well as to determine the prognosis if unilateral paresis of the vocal cords has already been diagnosed. Analyzing the examination results, we can create a treatment and rehabilitation plan. To evaluate changes in dynamics, if necessary, this examination can be repeated. Electromyography allows not only to investigate, but also to treat – to inject a medicine into the muscle, such as botulinum toxin, which reduces the excessive contraction of the muscles of the larynx in the case of spasmodic dysphonia.”
Marija Mihailova, electromyography specialist, neurologist: “Electromyography is an examination that I perform on my own every day for various muscles. By inserting a special needle into the muscle, which has a recording and reference electrode at the end, the activity of the muscle can be sensed and recorded, which I see on the computer screen. My task is to interpret the activity of this muscle, determining whether it is healthy or damaged, and if damaged, to give a prognosis for recovery.
The larynx muscle is very important for humans. If there is a problem, electromyography is an important examination to be able to give a prognosis to the patient. The needle was inserted into the muscle of the larynx by my colleague Alice Adovica, while I watched on the computer screen where the needle was – inside the muscle or outside it – and helped to find the right place. Once this was done, I could observe the muscle in action and comment on its condition. This was the first time that we performed electromyography in this way in a team, with each specialist participating with his own expertise. The cooperation of specialists is the key word – this is how we can do what we could not do otherwise for the benefit of patients.”
