Contribution to therapy of dysphonia plica ventricularis

Excision of the hypertrophic ventricular folds was performed in 35 patients by means of laryngomicroscopy. In most of our patients this therapy promptly resulted in a clear voice. Correlating the laryngomicroscopic finding and the histological picture we were able to classify hypertrophy of the ventricular folds into three stages, each of which presents with a characteristical clinical and histological picture and thus requires approapriate therapy. In Stage I the histological changes are reversible and conservative phoniatric therapy leads to success relatively quickly. In the second stage histological changes may also be reversible, and the prolonged and persistent phoniatric therapy leads to success but we prefer microsurgical excision because of the direct effect. In Stage III, however, we found irreversible histological changes in the sense of connective hyperplasia which prompted us to conclude that microsurgical excision alone may lead to regression of the hoarseness.