Selective cricothyroid muscle reinnervation by muscle-nerve-muscle neurotization.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if selective reinnervation of the cricothyroid muscle could be achieved with muscle-nerve-muscle neurotization.

DESIGN

Case series.

SETTING

Tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS: Three consecutive patients with high vagal lesions that resulted in unilateral laryngeal paralysis.

INTERVENTIONS: Patients underwent laryngeal reinnervation with ansa hypoglossi to recurrent laryngeal nerve anastomosis. In addition, patients underwent selective cricothyroid muscle reinnervation by muscle-nerve-muscle neurotization technique.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Objective and subjective improvement in voice quality and electromyographic evidence of selective reinnervation of the cricothyroid muscle.

RESULTS

All patients recovered normal or near-normal speaking voice and had normal objective measures of voice quality. They also showed electromyographic evidence of cricothyroid muscle reinnervation.

CONCLUSION

The muscle-nerve-muscle neurotization technique was successful in providing selective reinnervation of the cricothyroid muscle in our 3 patients.