Late complication of type 1 thyroplasty: a case report

We present a previously unreported late complication of medialization laryngoplasty (ML), also described as a thyroplasty, type 1. Five years following ML with Silastic, a 64-year-old female presented with dysphonia and a mass in the laryngeal ventricle on the ipsilateral side of the ML. A computed tomography scan of the larynx revealed migration of the thyroid cartilage window into the ventricle without migration of the Silastic implant. These findings were confirmed on surgical exploration. Following removal of the Silastic implant and the thyroid cartilage window fragment, the patient was successfully remedialized with autologous lipoinjection. Migration of the thyroid cartilage window appears to be a late complication of ML when the thyroid cartilage window is left intact and not removed. Complications of ML are discussed; specifically, difficulties resulting from retention of the thyroid cartilage window at the time of the ML are addressed.