Use of cervical ultrasonography in globus sensation investigation: a
retrospective cohort study
Abstract
Objective: A globus sensation is one of the most common complaints in
otolaryngological practice. Patients with no associated abnormalities
detected during the usual examinations performed in ENT clinics, are
being diagnosed with globus sensation. Cervical ultrasonography is
usually not performed in ENT clinics; however, it is useful in screening
diseases of the subcutaneous tissue/organs, whose detection is not
possible with the routine ENT examinations. The purpose of our study was
to elucidate whether cervical ultrasound examination identifies
abnormalities in patients with globus sensation. Design: A single-centre
retrospective cohort study. Cervical ultrasonographic examinations were
performed on patients with globus sensation from January 2013 to
September 2017. Setting: Department of Otolaryngology of Tottori
university hospital, a tertiary care centre Participants: The subjects
were 74 patients (42 women and 32 men) experiencing globus sensation
with no abnormality detected on general otolaryngological examination
(including laryngoscopy). The mean age was 58.4 years. Main outcomes:
The primary outcome measure was the percentage of patients with globus
sensation who have structural abnormalities detected by cervical
ultrasonography. Results: Ultrasonography detected structural
abnormalities in 60.8% of the patients with globus sensation: thyroid
disorders in 41 patients, including: 35 patients with thyroid nodules, 4
patients with Hashimoto’s disease, 1 patient with Grave’s disease, and 1
patient with subacute thyroiditis; Sjögren syndrome in 2 patients; and
cervical lipoma in 1 patient. Furthermore, 2 patients with thyroid
disorders had concomitant oesophageal cancer. Conclusions: Cervical
ultrasonography identified thyroid disorders in patients with globus
sensation, despite the normal ENT status. Therefore, it would be
appropriate to adopt cervical ultrasonography as a routine examination
at ENT clinics for patients with globus sensation.