title: Feasibility and acute healing of vocal fold microflap incisions in a rabbit model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of performing mucosal elevation of a vocal fold microflap in a rabbit model and to measure the acute healing of rabbit microflap incisions compared to control vocal folds.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective animal study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. All rabbits received a 3-mm incision through the epithelium of one vocal fold using a sickle knife and mucosal elevation through this incision using a microlaryngeal fine-angled spatula. The contralateral vocal fold was left intact to serve as an internal control. Student t tests were used to investigate differences in epithelial thickness, immunohistochemical staining of CD45, and inflammatory and profibrotic gene expression between vocal folds undergoing microflap and control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exposure of the rabbit larynx was achieved, allowing for the identification of a surgical plane and the creation of a microflap and elevation of the vocal fold mucosa. Hematoxylin-and-eosin staining revealed no significant differences in epithelial thickness, immunohistochemistry for CD45 showed no significant differences in CD45-positive cells, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed no significant differences in interleukin-1β, transforming growth factor β-1, or cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression between vocal folds undergoing microflap and control.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrate the feasibility of vocal fold microflap surgery in a rabbit model. With the advantage of greater access to primers and antibodies for molecular biologic studies, the application of the microflap technique in a small-animal model such as rabbit has broad implications for future experimental investigations in laryngology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Vanderbilt University, Bill Wilkerson Center for Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-4480, USA.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suehiro
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bock
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: C Gaelyn
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Garrett
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rousseau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011817:Rabbits; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens