Medialization Laryngoplasty After Injection Augmentation.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess the effect of vocal fold injection augmentation (IA) on subsequent medialization laryngoplasty (ML).

STUDY

DESIGN

A retrospective cohort study with follow-up telephone survey was carried out.

METHODS

Clinical records of patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis or paresis (VFP) who underwent ML between April 2006 and March 2015 were reviewed. Patients who underwent IA before ML were compared with patients who did not, with respect to demographic information, symptoms, Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10), etiology of VFP, and revision rate. Among patients undergoing IA, the effects of injection material and of interval from IA to ML on revision rate were assessed. Follow-up telephone surveys were conducted to evaluate long-term outcomes using VHI-10 and a condition-specific questionnaire.

RESULTS

One hundred thirty-five patients (70 male:65 female) with vocal fold paralysis (125) or paresis (10) underwent ML (96 left:39 right). Sixty-six (48.9%) patients underwent concurrent arytenoid adduction. Fourteen (10.4%) patients required revision. Fifty-six (41.5%) patients had prior IA; five (8.9%) patients underwent revision. Seventy-nine (58.5%) patients did not have IA; nine (11.4%) patients required revision (P = 0.78). Neither augmentation material nor length of interval between last IA and ML affected the revision rate (P = 1.00; P ≥ 0.11 for all tested intervals, respectively). No difference in follow-up VHI-10 score was found between patients who had IA before ML and patients who had not (P = 0.73).

CONCLUSIONS

IA does not appear to affect the revision rate or long-term outcome of subsequent ML.