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Updated: Jun 29, 2026
Construction and Characterization of a Novel Vocal Fold Bioreactor
Published on: August 1, 2014
Hylan B gel restores structure and function to laser-ablated canine vocal folds
Babak Jahan-Parwar1, Dinesh K Chhetri, Ming Ye
1Division of Head and Neck Surgery, University of California-Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Objectives:
We evaluated cross-linked hyaluronic acid (hylan B gel) as a scaffold for tissue regeneration and mucosal wave restoration in carbon dioxide laser-ablated canine vocal folds.
Methods:
Five beagles underwent stroboscopy before ablation of the left vocal fold with a carbon dioxide laser. Four weeks later, stroboscopy was repeated before and after submucosal injection of hylan B gel into the left vocal fold of 4 animals and of saline solution in 1 animal. Stroboscopy was repeated 12 weeks later, and histologic analysis was performed.
Results:
Four weeks after laser ablation, all animals had soft tissue defects and absence of mucosal waves. Hylan B injection restored mucosal waves, and saline injection did not. Twelve weeks after injection, hylan B-injected larynges had tissue regeneration and mucosal waves, and the saline-injected larynx had neither. Histology showed regenerated lamina propria with residual foci of hylan B in the hylan B-injected larynges and dense submucosal scar in the saline-injected animal.
Conclusions:
Submucosal hylan B gel injection in laser-ablated canine vocal folds restored tissue volume and mucosal waves and facilitated functional tissue regeneration over 12 weeks. Hylan B gel may have utility as a soft tissue scaffold for rehabilitation of phonatory function in vocal folds with lamina propria defects.
