U. S. practice variations in the treatment of chronic laryngopharyngeal neuropathy

Objectives/Hypothesis To evaluate differences in evaluation and workup of laryngopharyngeal neuropathy in a population of general otolaryngologists and fellowship‐trained laryngologists. Study Design Survey. Methods Members of the American Laryngological Association (ALA) and a general otolaryngologist database from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO‐HNS) were surveyed. A questionnaire was e‐mailed or mailed to 179 members of the ALA and 900 members from the AAO‐HNS database. Results Responses were received from 43 subjects in the ALA group (24.5%) and 96 in the AAO‐HNS database group (10.6%). Compared to the general otolaryngologists surveyed, ALA members were found to be more likely to practice in academics (79.6% vs. 6.6%) and to have been fellowship trained (79.5% vs. 16.5%). Among the general otolaryngologists, 44.6% reported being unfamiliar with laryngopharyngeal neuropathy compared to 0% from the ALA group (P < .0001). After accounting for the respondents unfamiliar with the condition, the general otolaryngologists reported being less comfortable in diagnosing laryngopharyngeal neuropathy (P