Responses of Laryngeal Tissue to Granular Teflon in Situ

Abstract

SINCE the advent of the use of Teflon glycerine mixture as a method of augmenting the size of the paralyzed, displaced, or deformed vocal cord, the question of the effect of its immediate and long-term residence in that location has been paramount. The immediate effects have been noted by several observers.^1-3All agree there was, as a rule, a minimum of reaction. That which did occur was always manageable. In perhaps one third of the cases patients suffered a moderate degree of local discomfort. In this group there was a fairly marked local edema. In two instances there was a temporary edema of such degree that tracheotomy was required. Subsidence of these reactions was rapid, and the reactions did not interfere with a successful end result. However, the important and lingering question remained. What was the long-term effect? Did time suggest a risk of a possible neoplastic response? Animal