Respiratory obstruction following vocal cord injection of Teflon paste

Injection of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) past (Teflon) into vocal cords is becoming more common, but immediate morbidity has not previously been described. A case is reported in which acute airway obstruction followed the injection of Teflon paste into a paralysed vocal cord. This was easily managed, without resort to tracheostomy, by topical lignocaine which reduced the overactivity of the normal vocal cord.