Concepedia

Lipoinjection for unilateral vocal cord paralysis

Diran O. Mikaelian, Louis D. Lowry, Robert T. Sataloff

The Laryngoscope · 1991 · 263 citations · 22 references

TL;DR

Teflon paste injection is a standard treatment for unilateral vocal cord paralysis but can cause respiratory obstruction and voice stiffness, and the long‑term behavior of autologous fat injections in this setting is largely unknown, with most existing studies focusing on scar repair or breast augmentation. The study reports a preliminary evaluation of lipoinjection as an alternative to Teflon injection for unilateral vocal cord paralysis. Lipoinjection uses autologous fat to provide soft bulk that preserves vibratory function and can be removed if overinjected. In a 12‑month follow‑up of three patients, lipoinjection produced encouraging outcomes.

Abstract

Abstract Injection of Teflon® paste is a commonly accepted procedure to improve the caliber of voice in unilateral vocal cord paralysis. There are several drawbacks to Teflon injection, among them respiratory obstruction (from overinjected Teflon) and unsatisfactory voice quality (Teflon causes stiffness of the vocal folds). This paper is a preliminary report on lipoinjection instead of Teflon injection into a paralyzed vocal fold. Fat appears to impart a soft bulkiness to the injected cord, while allowing it to retain its vibratory qualities. It is autologous material and can be retrieved if excessively overinjected. The fate of autologous fat injected into a paralyzed vocal cord remains unknown. Most of the literature on lipoinjection concerns repairs of depressed scars or breast augmentation. Our longest follow‐up has been 12 months. Three patients have had this procedure, and the results appear to be very encouraging.