Reinke edema

Classification according to ICD-10
J38.4	Laryngeal edema Reinke's edema of the vocal cord Reinke's edema of the vocal fold
ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019)

Reinke-Oedem

The Reinke's edema is an edema of the vocal fold edge in the so-called. Reinke room , a gap-shaped space between the epithelium and the underlying connective tissue. There is a typical, glassy-lobed swelling of the vocal folds of varying degrees. Dysphonia often occurs . Depending on the size of the findings, a reversal of the edema with the respiratory flow can be observed laryngoscopically .

Reinke's edema was first described by Hajek in 1891 . The Reinke room (and its edema) is named after its discoverer, the German anatomist Friedrich Berthold Reinke , and was first described by him in 1895.

Clinic and occurrence

Mostly middle-aged women (4th to 6th decade) are affected. Typical symptoms are: Decrease in the mean speaking pitch due to the increase in the mass of the vocal folds, the voice sounds hoarse and hoarse ( dysphonia ). If the edema increases, aphonia (voicelessness) is possible, and the narrowing of the glottis can cause breathing problems as an additional complication. In the differential diagnosis, large, broad-based vocal fold polyps (with contralateral contact swelling) such as Reinke's edema can appear.

root cause

The actual cause has not been clarified; It is noticeable that many patients with longstanding nicotine abuse and other noxious substances , especially those with reflux , are affected. Voice strain also seems to play a role. According to more recent studies, increased storage of hyaluronic acid in the vocal cord epithelium appears to play a role.

therapy

• Turn off the noxae
• microsurgical removal ("stripping"), s. a. Phonosurgery
• possibly after an operation additional voice therapy (e.g. for hyperfunctional vocalization)

literature

• NC-W.Tan, B.Pittore, R. Puxeddu: The “M” shaped microflap for treatment of complex Reinke's Space Oedema of the vocal cords. ACTA Otorhinolaryngologica Italica (2010); 30: 259-263 [1]

Individual evidence

1. ↑ M. Hajek: Anatomical studies on the laryngeal edema. In: Langenbecks Arch Chir. 42 (1891), pp. 46-93.
2. ↑ F. Reinke: About the functional structure of the human vocal fold with special consideration of the elastic tissue. In: Fortschr Med. 12 (1895), pp. 469-478.
3. ↑ JH Chung, K. Tae, YS Lee, JH Jeong, SH Cho, KR Kim, CW Park, DS Han: The significance of laryngopharyngeal reflux in benign vocal mucosal lesions. In: Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery . 2009 Sep; 141 (3), pp. 369-373.
4. ↑ B. Fuchs: On the pathogenesis and clinic of Reinke's edema - long-term studies. In: ENT. (1989); 37, pp. 490-495.
5. ↑ Lecture annual conference 09/2012

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !