On Sun, 11 Jun 2000 00:13:24 -0700 (PDT), vocalist-temporary@egroups.com
wrote:
> At the behest of my voice teacher, I went to see a local ENT. He
> gave me a sort-of thorough examination and said that, while I don't have
> any nodules on my vocal cords, there is some redness and swelling on the
> inter arytenoid surfaces. However, since he isn't really an expert on
> singing (I saw him because the more musically knowledgeable one isn't
> available for more than a month), he said he wasn't sure exactly what
sort
> of misuse or vocal problem might have caused that.
IMHO an honest MD is a keeper!! I'm impressed that he saw it and told you
that. Most people never notice that.
The most famous cause of inter-arytenoid inflammation is gastro-esophageal
reflux. In advanced cases, a 'callous' can form, just like on your hands or
feet, that we refer to as pachydermia. Even with proper treatment, this can
require months to resolve.
If you think about the larynx like a sand castle (bear with me here) then
the interarytenoid area is like the drawbridge. When the tide (reflux)
starts to come in, it enters the lowest lying areas first, and if the flow
is brisk enough through that opening, it never needs to go any higher, so
the interarytenoid area takes all the abuse.
Some of us laryngologists also belive that voice abuse can cause it as well,
but this is hard to prove.
John M. Schweinfurth, MD
Laryngology and Professional Voice Care
Assistant Professor
Penn State University Medical Center
Hershey, PA
(717) 531-6822
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