Clinical Analysis of Misdiagnosis of Fungal Infection of Vocal Cord in 11 Patients

WEN Senlin; GE Shibo; ZHOU Yongqing; DI Bin; SONG Qi; XIAO Shufen; LI Zhen; LI Xiaoming

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1002-3429.2024.20.005

Abstract：Objective To investigate the etiology,clinical characteristics,causes of misdiagnosis,diagnosis and treatment of fungal infection of vocal cord.Methods The clinical data of 11 patients with fungal infection of vocal cord from June 2022 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Results All 11 patients presented with hoarseness and had a his-tory of upper respiratory tract infection,long-term antibiotic use and long-term glucocorticoid use.Four patients were diag-nosed as vocal cord inflammation and 7 patients as acute laryngitis in other hospitals.Subsequently,electronic laryngoscopy examination showed acute congestion of both vocal cords,with large areas of gray white or gray yellow film like beancurd resi-due covering the surface.After pathological examination,fungal infection of vocal cord was confirmed,and the duration of misdiagnosis was 3-23 d.After resting the voice,discontinuing antibiotics and corticosteroids,and receiving antifungal treat-ment for one month,the patient was cured,and there was no recurrence after follow-up for more than 6 months.Conclusion Fungal infection of vocal cord is more common after upper respiratory tract infection and abuse of antibiotics and glucocorti-coids,which is prone to misdiagnosis and mistreatment.Pathological examination is the gold standard for the diagnosis of this disease.When electronic laryngoscopy reveals large pseudomembrane attachment,ulceration and granuloma on the surface of bilateral vocal cords,pathological examination should be performed in time to confirm the diagnosis,and systemic antifungal drugs can help cure the disease.