Studies of the Larynx After Teflon Injection

Abstract

ARNOLD and other authors,^1-10have stressed the feasibility of restoring voice in patients with dysphonias due to lateral fixation or adductor paralysis of the vocal cord. They advocated the injection of Teflon paste into the involved vocal fold, using the technique and instrument originally devised by Brünings.¹¹In his articles regarding technique of intracordal injection,¹²Arnold also reported the tissue tolerance of Teflon paste when this substance was injected into the quadriceps femoris muscle of rabbits. The original article described the histopathological results of these experiments two and four months after injection. For the past two years, experiments have been conducted by the departments of otolaryngology and pathology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine dealing with the tissue tolerance of the larynx of the dog to Teflon paste injection. This paper will describe the technique as well as the histopathological findings in these experiments. <h3>Materials</h3>