Teflon granuloma of the larynx: etiology, pathophysiology, and management

Intralaryngeal Teflon injection for correction of unilateral vocal cord paralysis is known to produce a foreign body giant cell reaction. In our practice, we have seen increasing numbers of patients who had developed dysphonia related to Teflon injection. This patient series was reviewed, as were the surgical technique to correct this condition, voice results, and acoustic analysis of a subset of the patient series. We conclude that dysphonia, secondary to Teflon injection, can be either from overinjection of Teflon or inappropriate injection, or from the proliferative granulomatous response of the larynx to the Teflon. Our technique of laser incision into the superior aspect of the Teflon implant, followed by vaporization and preservation of a margin of mucosa of the cord medially, resulted in improved voice in 8 of 11 patients treated in this manner. Acoustic and aerodynamic analyses reveal significant deficits in vocal function that may persist after procedures used to correct this condition.