title: [Diagnosis and management of sulcus vocalis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clarify the pathophysiology of sulcus vocalis and to develop a more rational approach to treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-nine cases of sulcus vocalis patients were divided into three classification: Type I is a physiologic variant and no dysphonia (11 cases). Types II (sulcus vergeture, 13 cases) and III (sulcus vocalis, 5 cases) are characterized by severe dysphonia and loss of vibratory activity. Eighteen cases of dysphonia were treated by surgery and phonation training. The operations included fat injection into vocal cords (9 cases of types II and 1 cases of types III, including 1 case of types III of second operation), fat implantation into sulcus vergeture after incision (4 cases of types II and 1 cases of types III) and undermining of the mucosa and sulcus vocalis resection (4 cases of types III, including 1 case of second operation). Phonatory function and video laryngostroboscopic data were evaluated before and after surgery and phonation training treatment in 18 patients. The mean follow-up time was 15.3 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten cases of types II had excellent results after fat injection into vocal cords (n = 6) and fat implantation into sulcus vergeture after incision (n = 4). Three cases of types II improved after fat injection into vocal cords. Three cases of type III had excellent results after sulcus vocalis resection. One case of type III had excellent results by Second operation (sulcus vocalis resection) after fat injection into vocal cord. One case of type III improved by Second operation (fat injection into vocal cords) after fat implantation into sulcus vergeture after incision. No postoperative complications were noted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accurate classification of sulcus vocalis is important and then adapt treatment to different types. Fat implantation into sulcus vergeture to type II and sulcus vocalis resection to type III were the best choice methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China. wenwu@smmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Wu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Shui-miao
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ru-xin
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao-hua
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Su-min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi-deng
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Guang-bin
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Li-ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Geng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007818:Laryngeal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000503:physiopathology