The Use of Laryngeal Electromyography to Determine Surgical Success Following Anastomosis and Implantation Reinnervation Surgeries for Vocal Fold Paralysis: A Systematic Review

Background. The goal of this systematic review is to elucidate an evidence-based review of the benefit of laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) in determining surgical success following reanastamosis and implantation reinnervation surgery for treating vocal fold paralysis. Methods. We searched the following databases: PubMed, Embase and MEDLINE from inception to September 2022. Articles that included postoperative LEMG as a tool to evaluate patients after surgery for vocal fold paralysis were included. Results. A total of 203 studies were identified, 106 were read in full, and 11 that met the inclusion criteria were systematically reviewed. Conclusion. The available evidence suggests that postoperative LEMG data is consistent with visual, perceptual, and acoustic analysis and therefore is a reliable tool in determining surgical success. LEMG provides both qualitative and quantitative evaluation, rather than the qualitative evaluation provided by standard methods, which yields additional parameters that more effectively and definitively characterize percent of muscle reinnervation at each stage and timeline the patient's recovery.