Vocal fold augmentation by autologous fat injection with lipostructure procedure.

BACKGROUND: Fat is theoretically the ideal implant for vocal fold augmentation because it is soft, easily available and biocompatible. However, reabsorption is a frequent cause of long-term failure. OBJECTIVE: We prospectively tested Coleman's "lipostructure" technique used for facial recontouring in the treatment of glottic incompetence. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Fourteen patients (aged 18-74 years, mean 48) with breathy dysphonia secondary to laryngeal hemiplegia (7) or anatomical defects (7) underwent vocal fold lipoinjection. Fat harvested by liposuction was centrifuged, and the fat cell layer injected into the vocalis muscle. The patients underwent pre- and postoperative videolaryngostroboscopy, maximum phonation time (MPT) measurements, GRBAS perceptual evaluations, and Voice Handicap Index (VHI) self-assessments. RESULTS: Voice quality improved soon after surgery and remained stable over 3-26 months (mean 10.6), being confirmed by the GRBAS, MPT and VHI evaluations ( P < 0.005). The results were best in the seven patients with paralytic dysphonia. CONCLUSION: Lipostructure is a valuable technique for voice rehabilitation in glottic incompetence.

Spirometric and plethysmographic assessment of upper airway obstruction in laryngeal hemiplegia.

Laryngeal hemiplegia (LH) is the most common disorder of laryngeal motility. It is deemed not to cause obstruction of the upper airway; in fact, the main symptoms are dysphonia and breathiness, and respiratory impairment is not commonly reported. The aim of this study was to objectively assess upper airway patency in 41 patients affected by LH (mean age, 54.4 +/- 15.2 years; 27 female) and 30 controls (mean age, 50.0 +/- 16.1 years; 19 female) by means of flow-volume loop spirometry and body plethysmography to measure specific airway resistance (sRaw) at increasing respiratory frequencies. The causes of LH were cervical surgery (28), tumor infiltration (5), and unexplained (8). None of the patients or controls was affected by lower airway disease. Spirometry showed that the patients had inspiratory flows (PIF, FIF50) significantly lower than those of the controls (p < .0001), whereas the expiratory flows (FEV1, FEF50) were normal, with the exception of peak expiratory flow (PEF), which was reduced, especially in female patients. The mean FEF50/FIF50 ratio (about unity in the normal subjects) was >1, as is typical of variable extrathoracic obstruction. Plethysmography showed that the values of sRaw of the LH group were not statistically different from those of the controls at 30 +/- 5 breaths per minute, but they progressively and significantly increased at 60 +/- 5 (p < .01) and 90 +/- 5 breaths per minute (p < .002), whereas no significant sRaw change was observed in the controls. These results show that LH causes obstruction of the upper airway that can be assessed and quantified by means of spirometry and body plethysmography. A dynamic narrowing due to inspiratory medialization of the paralytic vocal fold and flow turbulence during hyperventilation seem to be the causes of patency impairment. The flow-volume loop is an excellent, inexpensive, and easily available means of functionally evaluating upper airway obstruction, but some patients have difficulty in performing an inspiratory test that requires maximal effort, and the flow reduction during forced ventilation may be partially due to the effort dependency of the tests themselves. Plethysmographic assessment of airway resistance may be a valid alternative or complement, as it reveals an increase in sRaw at increasing respiratory frequencies.