06-22-2007, 08:31 AM
A 26-year-old man comes to the office because of a 2-day history of a hoarse voice. He developed a
sore throat, runny nose, and a cough about a week ago that have basically "gone away." He has not
been to any concerts or sporting events recently where he says that he usually "loses" his voice. He
denies any difficulty breathing. His temperature is 37 C (98.6 F), blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg,
pulse is 60/min, and respirations are 14/min. Physical examination shows diffuse erythema of the
larynx and slight engorgement of the vocal cords. The remainder of the examination is unremarkable.
The most appropriate next step is to
A. obtain a laryngeal biopsy
B. obtain a laryngeal culture
C. order a radiograph of the neck
D. prescribe oral antibiotic therapy
E. recommend resting the voice and inhaling humidified air
sore throat, runny nose, and a cough about a week ago that have basically "gone away." He has not
been to any concerts or sporting events recently where he says that he usually "loses" his voice. He
denies any difficulty breathing. His temperature is 37 C (98.6 F), blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg,
pulse is 60/min, and respirations are 14/min. Physical examination shows diffuse erythema of the
larynx and slight engorgement of the vocal cords. The remainder of the examination is unremarkable.
The most appropriate next step is to
A. obtain a laryngeal biopsy
B. obtain a laryngeal culture
C. order a radiograph of the neck
D. prescribe oral antibiotic therapy
E. recommend resting the voice and inhaling humidified air