Comparison of the use of silastic with titanium prefabricated implant in type I thyroplasty.
BACKGROUND
Type I thyroplasty is the treatment of choice for unilateral vocal cord palsy with no spontaneous recovery.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the use of silastic implant with titanium vocal fold medializing implant (TVFMI®) in type I thyroplasty for unilateral vocal cord palsy with respect to subjective and objective improvement in voice, endoscopic changes in vocal cords, surgical time, and cost effectiveness.


METHODS
This was a prospective study conducted on 40 patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis who underwent type I thyroplasty with either silastic implant or TVFMI®. Pre-operative and four-week post-operative assessment and statistical comparison were performed by videolaryngoscopy, stroboscopy, perceptual assessment (GRBAS), subjective (voice handicap index) analysis of voice, and computer-assisted acoustic and electroglottographic assessment. The duration of surgery and cost of implant were also recorded.


RESULTS
Although both implants showed improvement in quality of voice following thyroplasty, TVFMI® presents slightly better results in objective voice analysis. The surgery time for TVFMI®insertion was shorter, but the costs were higher.


CONCLUSIONS
TVFMI® may be preferred for medialization thyroplasty as it presents better voice results and demands less surgical time; however, it is costlier than silastic implant.
Akshat
A
Malik
W V B S
WV
Ramalingam
Ajith
A
Nilakantan
Satish
S
Nair
A V
AV
Ramesh
Poonam
P
Raj
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058753:Laryngoplasty / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000191:economics; D013997:Time Factors; D014025:Titanium / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000601:surgery*; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult
D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; C013830:baysilon; D014025:Titanium