Abstract
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to identify a panel of sensory nerves capable of eliciting an evoked glottic closure reflex (GCR) and to quantify the glottic closing force (GCF) of these responses in a porcine model.
Methods:
In 5 pigs, the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (iSLN) and the trigeminal, pharyngeal plexus, glossopharyngeal, radial, and intercostal nerves were surgically isolated and electrically stimulated. During stimulation of each nerve, the GCR was detected by laryngeal electromyography and the GCF was measured with a pressure transducer.
Results:
The only nerve that elicited the GCR in the 5 pigs was the iSLN. The average GCF was 288.9 mm Hg.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that the only afferent nerve that elicits the GCR in pigs is the iSLN, and that it should remain the focus of research for the rehabilitation of patients with absent or defective reflex vocal fold adduction.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
