Analysis of voice function following autologous fat injection for vocal fold paralysis.
OBJECTIVE
This study demonstrates that intravocal fold injection of autologous fat obtained by liposuction technique is simple, and the functional results durable for patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis due to injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve.


METHODS
41 patients with unilateral paralysis of the vocal fold due to injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve received intravocal fold injection of autologous fat. Autologous fat, harvested from the lower abdomen by liposuction technique, was filtered out and injected through a needle into the vocal fold by using endolaryngeal microsurgery. Clinical follow-up after the injection was carried out from 1 month to 2 years.


RESULTS
Voice function dramatically improved compared with the parameters examined before the operation. Vocal function continued to improve as time passed during the second year after injection.


CONCLUSIONS
Intravocal fold injection of autologous fat obtained by liposuction technique is simple, and the functional results durable for patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis due to injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve.


CONCLUSIONS
The effectiveness continued for more than 2 years in most patients.
Umeno
Hirohito
H
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan. umeno2@med.kurume-u.ac.jp
Shirouzu
Hidetaka
H
Chitose
Shun-Ichi
S
Nakashima
Tadashi
T
D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010699:Phonation; D061226:Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014833:Voice Quality