Vocal Cord Dysfunction - Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Vocal cord dysfunction is often diagnosed after all other potential conditions are ruled out. Patients must be unresponsive to medication and other potential treatments before VCD will be considered. This often means that the patient has been hospitalized on several occasions due to episodes that are unresponsive to "normal" treatments, such as asthma medication.

The most effective way of diagnosing VCD is to perform a nasolaryngoscopy during an episode. A clinician can then view the movement of the vocal folds and determine whether there is any abnormality. If the endoscopy is not performed during an episode, it is likely that the vocal folds are moving normally and the clinician will not detect an abnormality. However, in severe cases, VCD is detectable outside of episode by observing persistent swelling of the vocal folds and indications of irritation.