Comparison of Initial Therapeutic Effects of Voice Therapy and Injection Laryngoplasty for Unilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis Patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to classify patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis according to their fixed location and to analysis the effects of two treatment methods by early voice therapy and injection laryngoplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients who were classified as full abduction and slight abduction according to the position of paralysis were treated injection laryngoplasy, and 23 patients were treated by voice therapy. Twenty patients were treated injection laryngoplasy and 23 patients were treated voice therapy. Results were evaluated by acoustic analysis, electroglottography, cepstrum analysis before and after therapy. The voice therapy was conducted by improving the larynx movement and glottal contact, whilst removing hypertension of the supraglottic and use the breathing. RESULTS: Significant improvement was found in the acoustic parameter, cepstrum parameter, and EGG before and after treatment in both groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups when compared before and after treatment to compare the effects of injection laryngoplasty and voice therapy. CONCLUSION: The initial treatments for unilateral vocal cord paralysis are injection laryngoplasty and voice therapy. however, there is no precise standard about which method should be applied first. Therefore, in this study, we tried to classify patients according to their paralysis position and then apply two methods. The results of this study suggest that voice therapy and Injection laryngoplasty at the initial stage is a very useful method to improve voice quality of vocal fold paralysis and improve laryngeal function.

Treatment of bilateral vocal cord paralysis by hemi-phrenic nerve transfer / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective@#To investigate the surgical effect of reinnervation of bilateral posterior cricoarytenoid muscles(PCA) with left hemi-phrenic nerve and endoscopic laser arytenoid resection in bilateral vocal cord fold paralysis(BVFP) and to analyze the pros and cons of the two methods.@*Methods@#One hundred and seventeen BVFP patients who underwent reinnervation of bilateral PCA using the left hemi-phrenic nerve approach (nerve group, n=52) or laser arytenoidectomy(laser group, n=65) were enrolled in this study from Jan.2009 to Dec.2015.Vocal perception evaluation, video stroboscopy, pulmonary function test and laryngeal electromyography were preformed in all patients both preoperatively and postoperative1y.Extubution rate was calculated postoperative1y.@*Results@#Most of the vocal function parameters in nerve group were improved postoperatively compared with preoperative parameters, albeit without a significant difference(P>0.05), while laser group showed a significant deterioration in voice quality postoperative1y(P<0.05). The two groups showed significant difference in voice quality postoperative1y(P<0.05). Videostroboscopy showed that vocal fold on the operated side in both groups could abduct to various extent postoperatively, which showed significant difference when compared with preoperative abductive movements (P<0.05). But the amplitude in nerve group was larger than that in laser group (P<0.05). 89% of the patients in nerve group were inhale physiological vocal cord abductions. Postoperative glottal closure showed no significant difference in nerve group (P>0.05), while showed various increment in laser group(P<0.05). Differences between the two groups were statistically significant(P<0.05). The pulmonary function in both groups was better after operation, reaching the reference value. Postoperative laryngeal electromyography confirmed successful reinnervation of the bilateral PCA muscles. The decannulation rate were 88.5% and 81.5% in nerve group and laser group respectively. In both groups, patients presented aspiration symptoms postoperatively, and rdieved soon, except 2 patients in laser group suffered repeated aspiration.@*Conclusions@#Reinnervation of bilateral PCA muscles using left hemi-phrenic nerve can restore inspiratory vocal fold abduction to a satisfactory extent while preserving phonatory function at the preoperative level without evident morbidity, and do not affect swallowing function, greatly improving the quality of life of the patients.