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Direct Laryngoscopy



 Submitted by Nic on September 6, 2011
A laryngoscopy is a medical procedure that is used to allow the presiding doctor, usually a Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, a closer look at the insider of the larynx. Primarily used to diagnose the root causes of conditions such as blocked airways, a strained throat, a long standing cough as well as persistent and significant throat irritation, the laryngoscopy is a much better option for a physician than compared to normal x-rays. However, a laryngoscopy is rarely ever the first diagnostic procedure used and the doctor may insist on a number of other tests being carried out such as chest x-rays and a CT scan in addition to a physical examination. The laryngoscopy uses a medical device known as a laryngoscope, which is primarily a very thin tube that has a camera and a light source on one end, and through the other end runs a live video feed to a monitor placed in front of the doctor. The laryngoscope needs to be very thin and flexible because it needs to be maneuvered down the very narrow airwaves in the throat. A direct laryngoscopy is the more commonly used method of operation because of the fact that it requires the patient to be put under general anesthesia, thereby reducing the likelihood of gagging – an occurrence that is very common in the case of indirect laryngoscopy.

Because of the fact that you are trying to get a solid metallic object go down the very tender shafts of the airways, the direct laryngoscopy technique used must be performed by experienced hands in order to avoid making any mistakes. The patient will be asked to lie on his or her back and the instrument then inserted into the mouth on the right side before swiftly being whisked to the right to get the tongue out of the way. There are a variety of types of laryngoscopes that are used during this procedure, all made of the same mechanics – but with different angles that allow the physician more flexibility with the kind of areas of the larynx that he or she can get a view of. There is a lot of further information that one can find through a number of sources such as the internet that documents data like the direct laryngoscopy cpt code as well as direct laryngoscopy esophagoscopy that is both - informative and interesting while also being extremely well detailed.
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