Functional Analysis of Injectable Substance Treatment on Surgically Injured Rabbit Vocal Folds.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of immediate injection treatments of dexamethasone, hyaluronic acid (HA)/gelatin (Ge) hydrogel and glycol-chitosan solution on the phonatory function of rabbit larynges at 42 days after surgical injury of the vocal folds, piloting a novel ex vivo phonatory functional analysis protocol. METHODS: A modified microflap procedure was performed on the left vocal fold of 12 rabbits to induce an acute injury. Animals were randomized into one of four treatment groups with 0.1 mL injections of dexamethasone, HA/Ge hydrogel, glycol-chitosan or saline as control. The left mid vocal fold lamina propria was injected immediately following injury. The right vocal fold served as an uninjured control. Larynges were harvested at Day 42 after injection, then were subjected to airflow-bench evaluation. Acoustic, aerodynamic and laryngeal high-speed videoendoscopy (HSV) analyses were performed. HSV segments of the vibrating vocal folds were rated by three expert laryngologists. Six parameters related to vocal fold vibratory characteristics were evaluated on a Likert scale. RESULTS: The fundamental frequency, one possible surrogate of vocal fold stiffness and scarring, was lower in the dexamethasone and HA/Ge hydrogel treatment groups compared to that of the saline control (411.52±11.63 Hz). The lowest fundamental frequency value was observed in the dexamethasone group (348.79±14.99 Hz). Expert visual ratings of the HSV segments indicated an overall positive outcome in the dexamethasone treatment group, though the impacts were below statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone injections might be used as an adjunctive option for iatrogenic vocal fold scarring. An increased sample size, histological correlate, and experimental method improvements will be needed to confirm this finding. Results suggested a promising use of HSV and acoustic analysis techniques to identify and monitor post-surgical vocal fold repair and scarring, providing a useful tool for future studies of vocal fold scar treatments.

Evaluation of the Surface Roughness and Accelerated Aging of CAD/CAM Materials.

PURPOSE: To compare the influence of surface roughness and accelerated aging on the mechanical properties of polymer-based and ceramic CAD/CAM materials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three polymers (Lava Ultimate [LVU], VITA ENAMIC [ENA], and Shofu Block HC [SFB]) and one ceramic (IPS Empress CAD [EMP]) were selected for this study. The specimens were treated with the aim of measuring surface roughness (Ra [mm]) and its influence on the mechanical properties. The treatments were: polishing (POL); etching with 9.6% hydrofluoric acid for 90 seconds (ETC); airborne-particle abrasion with 50-µm aluminum oxide at 2-bar pressure (SBT); and airborne-particle abrasion with 50-µm aluminum oxide at 2-bar pressure plus etching with 9.6% hydrofluoric acid (SAC) for 90 seconds. Before and after the accelerated aging (AA) protocol (30,000 cycles, 5°C and 55°C), the specimens were subjected to the 3-point bending test. The data were analyzed with two-way and three-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey test (P < .05). RESULTS: The surface roughness ranged from 0.24 µm to 1.96 µm, with statistically significant differences (P < .05). The highest surface roughness, in descending order, was exhibited by: LVU > SFB > EMP > ENA. The AA demonstrated an influence on the flexural strength of LVU, ENA, and SFB. The surface treatment did not affect the flexural moduli of the materials tested. The LVU and SFB showed decreased moduli of resilience after the AA; however, modulus of resilience was not influenced by surface treatment. CONCLUSION: The polymer-based materials were affected by AA. In addition, surface treatment could jeopardize their mechanical properties in certain conditions.