Experience with vocal cord injection

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Vocal cord paralysis can lead to voice impairment, aspiration, and reduced cough effectiveness.
• Existing treatments for vocal cord paralysis have limitations.
• Injectable materials have been explored to improve vocal cord function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the long-term outcomes of Teflon-glycerin injections for vocal cord paralysis.
• To introduce a new technique using sterile glycerin for acute vocal cord dysfunction.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of these injection methods in restoring voice, swallowing, and cough.

Main Methods:

• Review of a 14-year series of vocal cord injections using a Teflon-glycerin mixture by FDA-accredited investigators.
• Description of a novel surgical technique involving direct or indirect laryngoscopy for sterile glycerin injection in acute cases.
• Assessment of functional outcomes including voice quality, ability to strain, aspiration prevention, and cough effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Successful restoration of voice, laughter, and the ability to strain in patients with paralyzed vocal cords.
• Prevention of aspiration was achieved in a significant number of cases.
• The new sterile glycerin injection technique demonstrated immediate improvement in cough effectiveness, potentially obviating the need for tracheotomy.

Conclusions:

• Vocal cord injection with Teflon-glycerin is an exceptionally useful and effective long-term treatment for vocal cord paralysis.
• Sterile glycerin injection represents a promising new approach for acute vocal cord dysfunction, offering immediate functional benefits.
• These injection techniques provide significant functional improvements, enhancing quality of life and potentially reducing the need for surgical interventions like tracheotomy.