Laryngeal Disorders

When relaxed, the vocal folds normally form a V-shaped opening that allows air to pass freely through to the trachea. The folds open during inspiration and close during swallowing or speech. When a mirror is held in the back of a patient’s mouth, the vocal folds can often be seen and checked for disorders, such as contact ulcers, polyps, nodules, paralysis, and cancer. Paralysis may affect one (unilateral) or both vocal folds (bilateral—not shown).