Background and Objectives: Vocal polyps are generally caused by phonotrauma such as vocal overuse, and the first line treatment is known as laryngeal microsurgery. The aim of the study is to evaluate the applicability and effectiveness of percutaneous steroid injection via cricothyroid membrane in patients with vocal polyp and to evaluate its advantages and limitations of the technique.Subjects and Method We included in this study 70 patients with vocal polyp managed by vocal fold steroid injection via the cricothyroid membrane from Jan 2008 to July 2018. We compared their medical records of laryngoscopy, stroboscopy, and multi-dimensional voice program analysis at pre and post treatment. Subjective voice improvement was evaluated using Voice Handicap Index-30 (VHI-30). Results: Of the patients, 54.3 percent showed morphological improvement. In acoustic analysis, the pre-treatment mean values of jitter, shimmer, and NHR were 2.20±2.23, 5.09±3.24, 0.15±0.04, respectively. The post-treatment values were 1.54±1.28, 5.00±4.40, 0.13±0.04, respectively, and only jitter was statistically significant. For subjective symptom improvement, 32 (45.8%) patients showed better score on the post-treatment of VHI-30 compared to pretreatment. Ten patients experienced mild complications such as vocal fold atrophy and scar; however, no critical complications such as internal bleeding or dyspnea were reported. Conclusion According to our study, steroid injection is a safe and effective procedure for patients with vocal polyp. A vocal fold steroid injection via the cricothyroid membrane can be an alternative treatment option for those who are not able to undergo conventional laryngeal microscopic surgery.

Background/Aims: Biofeedback therapy is widely used to treat patients with chronic constipation, especially those with dyssynergic defecation. Yet, the utility of high-resolution manometry with novel parameters in the prediction of biofeedback response has not been reported. Thus, we constructed a model for predicting biofeedback therapy responders by applying the concept of integrated pressurized volume in patients undergoing high-resolution anorectal manometry. Methods: Seventy-one female patients (age: 48-68 years) with dyssynergic defecation who underwent initial high-resolution anorectal manometry and subsequent biofeedback therapy were enrolled. The manometry profiles were used to calculate the 3-dimensional integrated pressurized volumes by multiplying the distance, time, and amplitude during simulated evacuation. Partial least squares regression was performed to generate a predictive model for responders to biofeedback therapy by using the integrated pressurized volume parameters. Results: Fifty-five (77.5%) patients responded to biofeedback therapy. The responders and non-responders did not show significant differences in the conventional manometric parameters. The partial least squares regression model used a linear combination of eight integrated pressurized volume parameters and generated an area under the curve of 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.76-0.95, P < 0.01), with 85.5% sensitivity and 62.1% specificity. Conclusions Integrated pressurized volume parameters were better than conventional parameters in predicting the responsiveness to biofeedback therapy, and the combination of these parameters and partial least squares regression was particularly promising. Integrated pressurized volume parameters can more effectively explain the physiology of the anorectal canal compared with conventional parameters.