Comparison between two assessment methods for exercise-induced laryngeal obstructions

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Katarina Norlander
  • Pernille Meyer Christensen
  • Robert C. Maat
  • Thomas Halvorsen
  • John Helge Heimdal
  • Staffan Morén
  • Niels Rasmussen
  • Leif Nordang

Exercise-induced laryngeal obstructions (E-ILOs) are important differential diagnoses to exercise-induced asthma and are diagnosed by the continuous laryngoscopy exercise (CLE) test. There are two different methods for evaluating the severity of E-ILOs using recordings from the CLE test; the CLE score and EILOMEA. The aim of this study was to investigate the consistency between these methods. Using their respective method, the developers of each method evaluated 60 laryngoscopic recordings from patients with different subtypes and various levels of severity of E-ILOs. The CLE score evaluates glottic and supraglottic obstructions on a 4-grade scale. EILOMEA uses software to calculate the obstruction severity on continuous scales from a still frame of the larynx during maximal obstruction giving three parameters reflecting glottic and supraglottic obstruction. The means of the EILOMEA measures differed significantly for CLE score 1 vs. 2 and 2 vs. 3, but not for 0 vs. 1 for glottic as well as supraglottic obstructions. The EILOMEA method does not distinguish between CLE score 0 and 1, but otherwise the methods correlate. Since previous studies have suggested that only CLE scores of 2 and 3 reflect a severity of E-ILOs of clinical importance, this lack of the EILOMEA method is not crucial for a correct medical evaluation.

Original languageEnglish
JournalEuropean Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
Volume273
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)425-430
Number of pages6
ISSN0937-4477
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2016

    Research areas

  • CLE score, Continuous laryngoscopy exercise test, E-ILO, EILOMEA, Exercise-induced respiratory difficulties

ID: 179041699