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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
A Heterotopic Mouse Model for Studying Laryngeal Transplantation
Published on: January 13, 2023
[Long-term histological outcome for the larynx after Gore-Tex medialization thyroplasty]
Hisanori Sasai1, Yusuke Watanabe, Hiroshi Miyahara
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mita Hospital International University of Health & Welfare, Tokyo.
Objectives:
We studied the long-term histological response of the human larynx to Gore-Tex implant and evaluated whether its biocompatibility.
Study Design:
Retrospective histological study.
Methods:
We conducted medialization laryngoplasty with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTEE or Gore-Tex) in a patient with vocal-fold paralysis. A strip of Gore-Tex was folded several times and inserted into the pocket preserving the inner perichondrium through a thyroid cartilage window. The patient died 12 months later and we histologically analyzed the larynx.
Results:
No evidence was seen of foreign body granuloma, migration, extrusion, or infection. A modest inflammatory response with a fibrous capsule was present around implants. We confirmed the infiltration of abundant collagen and numerous fibroblasts into the microporous implant structure.
Conclusion:
Histological examination results suggest that Gore-Tex implants are safe and biocompatible with the human larynx. A slight inflammatory response and infiltration of fibrous tissue into the implant itself demonstrated that Gore-Tex implants are immunologically well tolerated.
