title: [Fat injection as treatment for vocal cord palsy: our experience in 21 patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vocal cord palsy is a known complication after various operations but there are cases in which the paralysis is idiopathic. Patients complain of severe hoarseness and especially coughing, dysphagia and aspirations which can cause recurrent pneumonia.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the last 4 years we have been using autogenic fat which is injected into the paralyzed vocal cord, a procedure which causes swelling of the cord toward the healthy cord in order to improve the voice quality and to prevent foreign body aspiration. In this retrospective study, we describe the treatment with fat injections in 21 patients diagnosed at the voice clinic in "Rabin" Medical Center and treated in the Department of E.N.T and Head and Neck Surgery, Campus "Beilinson".
  
  
  RESULTS
  Following the treatment, all patients reported that there were no aspirations, there was an improvement of voice quality, and most of them were satisfied with the treatment. Six patients needed an additional fat injection after several months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A fat injection to the vocal cord is a simple, quick, and easy procedure, without any skin incision in the neck and with short hospitalization. It is especially suitable for patients with a probability of vocal cord palsy recovery. Most of the patients do not need additional injections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Campus Beilinson, Petah Tikva. jacob.shvero@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shvero
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000637:transplantation*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000628:therapy*; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult