At present, there is no unified gold standard for the treatment of laryngeal clefts. Type Ⅰ laryngeal clefts with mild symptoms can be treated conservatively, such as thick diet feeding and using proton pump inhibitor to control reflux, while Ⅱ-Ⅳ laryngeal clefts mostly requires surgical intervention.There are many different surgical methods for the treatment of laryngeal clefts, including injection laryngoplasty, endoscopic surgical repair of laryngeal clefts and open laryngoplasty through anterior cervical approach. How to choose a more suitable surgical plan for children is a problem worth discussing. This article will review the literature on the surgical treatment of laryngeal clefts both domestically and internationally, and summarize the current situation and challenges of surgical treatment of laryngeal clefts.
Child ; Humans ; Congenital Abnormalities/surgery* ; Endoscopy ; Laryngoplasty/methods* ; Laryngoscopy/methods* ; Larynx/surgery*

Background. Simulators in laryngology are an essential part of training. They provide an avenue for medical students and resident trainees to practice valuable psychomotor skills outside the realm of an actual patient encounter - thereby decreasing the risk of possible patient morbidity. Herein we present three locally manufactured simulation devices that can be used to train residents in laryngology procedures.

Objective. To present three simulation platform devices (Laser Box, Flexible Endoscopy Simulation, Thiel Cadaver Chair) and their applications in simulation-based learning

Methods. The Laser Box, Flexible Endoscopy Simulation, and Thiel Cadaver Chair were manufactured by outside parties designated as 'Laser Machinists'.

Results. Ten (10) units of the Laser Box, two (2) units of the Thiel Cadaver Chair, and two (2) units of the Flexible Endoscopy Simulation were constructed. They were used in a laryngology postgraduate course in our institution to teach the participants on endoscopies and laser phonosurgery.

Conclusion. Simulation for otolaryngologic procedures should be an essential part of training. The learning curve for procedures such as laryngoscopy and laser phonosurgery can be addressed with the production of simulation platforms. Most institutions in the Philippines still adopt the "see one, do one, teach one" approach, which lacks standardization and puts patients at risk. Various task trainers for laser phonosurgery and flexible endoscopy have been reported in the literature, but there seems to be no published data on the use of a cadaver chair for simulation. In the COVID-19 era, aside from being excellent teaching tools, simulation platforms derive their importance in helping train residents, educate medical students, and review consultants - maximizing skill development - and thereby decreasing repeated attempts, and indirectly, exposure to the SARS-CoV-2. Future validation studies are required for the models, with the eventual long-term goals to further standardize training, increase patient safety and incorporate a simulation-based curriculum for the specialty locally.

Objective: To present the case of a 78-year-old man with Glottic SCCa stage I who underwent single stage transoral cordectomy type IV with medialization thyroplasty under general anesthesia. Methods: Design: Case Report. Setting: Tertiary Government Training Hospital. Patient: One. Results: Postoperatively, patient was able to phonate and gave a VHI score of 12 and GRBAS score of 4. He was able to resume oral feeding without any signs of aspiration. Postoperative flexible laryngoscopy showed fully mobile vocal cords with good approximation in the midline. Conclusion This report suggests that vocal cord medialization via thyroplasty may be performed after cordectomy in a single stage, providing acceptable postoperative voice as well as good swallowing outcome
Laryngoplasty ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Glottis ; Vocal Cords

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Radiesse® is a widely used calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA) injection material used for vocal fold injection. Recently, a new CaHA injection material (Facetem ®) which complements the structural disadvantages of Radiesse has been developed and released in the market. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy and short-term voice outcome of these two CaHA materials. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A retrospective analysis was performed for 70 patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis who underwent vocal fold injection using CaHA materials. Acoustic voice analysis, maximal phonation time (MPT), voice handicap index (VHI), and Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, Strain (GRBAS) scale were evaluated between Radiesse and Facetem injection group. RESULTS: Both groups showed a signifcant improvement of MPT, VHI, and G, B, A scale after injection. The Facetem group showed similar voice improvement as the Radiesse group, where pre- and postoperatively objective and subjective voice evaluation results were compared. CONCLUSION: Our study reveals that there is no significant difference in efficacy and nor any short-term vocal improvement between Radiesse and Facetem. Therefore, the use of Facetem as CaHA injection material could be considered as an alternative material for patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis.
Acoustics ; Asthenia ; Calcium ; Complement System Proteins ; Durapatite ; Humans ; Laryngoplasty ; Methods ; Paralysis ; Phonation ; Retrospective Studies ; Vocal Cord Paralysis ; Vocal Cords ; Voice

OBJECTIVES: Injection laryngoplasty (IL) is one of the major options for treatment of unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP). Early IL in patients with abrupt-onset UVFP can reduce hoarseness and aspiration-related discomfort and complications. Temporary or short-lasting materials are recommended for the early IL since permanent or long-lasting materials may negatively affect the voice quality when vocal fold motion is spontaneously recovered. METHODS: Patients who received IL with a long-lasting material (ArteSense) within 1 month following development of postoperative UVFP were enrolled for this study. They were categorized into a spontaneously recovered group (n=30) and unrecovered group (n=276) from UVFP. The subjective and objective voice parameters were collected before and 6 months after IL. Patients' demographics and collected voice parameters were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Age and sex distributions were not different between the two groups. Aspiration symptom, maximum phonation time (MPT), jitter, shimmer, noise to harmonic ratio (NHR), overall grade (G) and breathiness (B) of GRBAS (grade of dysphonia, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, strain) scale score, and voice handicap index (VHI) were significantly improved after IL in both groups. The amounts of improvement in MPT, jitter, shimmer, NHR and VHI were significantly greater in the recovered group. There was no IL-related complication including granuloma formation, hypersensitivity to injection material, or worsening of hoarseness. CONCLUSION: Early IL with a long-lasting material can be safely performed to improve voice quality and to reduce aspiration episode for the patients with postoperative UVFP, regardless of recovery from the paralysis. The amounts of improvement in the subjective and objective voice parameters were significantly greater in patients who showed spontaneous recovery from UVFP when compared with those in patients who did not.
Asthenia ; Demography ; Dysphonia ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Granuloma ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Laryngoplasty ; Noise ; Paralysis ; Phonation ; Sex Distribution ; Vocal Cords ; Voice ; Voice Quality

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The effect of palliative injection laryngoplasty in cancer-related unilateral vocal cord paralysis patients on voice and swallowing function is uncertain and there are few previous studies of its suitability, benefits as a palliative treatment option. The purpose of this study is to confirm the objective results of voice and swallowing function after palliative office-based hyaluronic acid injection laryngoplasty in cancer-related unilateral vocal cord paralysis patients. MATERIALS AND METHOD: 36 patients who had unilateral vocal cord paralysis from non-thyroidal, extralaryngeal neoplasms were included in this study. To evaluate the clinical outcome, we analyzed perceptual GRBAS grading, acoustic analysis, aerodynamic study, Electroglottography (EGG), Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30) about voice function and disability rating scale (DRS), gastric tube dependency, aspiration pneumonia about swallowing function and 36-Item Short Form Survey version 2 (SF-36v2) about quality of life. RESULTS: In GRBAS scale, G (p < 0.001), R (p=0.004), B (p=0.001), A (p=0.011), and S (p=0.007) showed significant improvement. Jitter, shimmer, speaking fundamental frequency, maximal phonation time, VHI-30, DRS score, gastric tube dependency, aspiration pneumonia, and SF-36v2 were significantly improved after injection (p=0.016, p=0.011, p=0.045, p=0.005, p < 0.001, p < 0.001 p=0.003, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001 respectively). CONCLUSION: From this study we concluded office-based hyaluronic acid injection can be used as a useful palliative treatment option in cancer-related ill patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis. Palliative hyaluronic acid injection laryngoplasty avoids the need for tube feeding, thus reducing the risk of aspiration pneumonia. These outcomes are accompanied by significant improvement in voice quality.
Acoustics ; Deglutition ; Enteral Nutrition ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Laryngoplasty ; Methods ; Palliative Care ; Phonation ; Pneumonia, Aspiration ; Quality of Life ; Vocal Cord Paralysis ; Voice ; Voice Quality

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate efficacy and complication of injection laryngoplasty using calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA) for unilateral vocal fold paralysis in Asian. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on the adult patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis from May 2015 through January 2016. Injection laryngoplasty was performed by one laryngologist. All patients underwent prospective voice evaluation using the subjective and objective comprehensive battery of assessments, before the procedure and after the procedure at 3 months, and 6 months. RESULTS: A total of 7 patients (5 males and 2 females) were included in this study. VHI-10 was significantly decreased after injection laryngoplasty, at postoperative 6 months (p=0.031), while VAS score and MDADI showed no difference. GRBAS scale gradually decreased in 3 months and 6 months follow-up without statistical significance. Acoustic analysis revealed that jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonic ratio continuously decreased from the baseline at 3 months and 6 months, although statistical significance was not attained. In the aerodynamic analysis, maximal phonation time was gradually increased at 3months and 6 months with significant difference (p=0.016, 0.031, respectively). There was no side effect associated with the procedure. CONCLUSION: CaHA can be safely used in Asian patients and the onset of maximal efficacy seems to be slow than other studies with Caucasian patients.
Acoustics ; Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Calcium ; Durapatite ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laryngoplasty ; Male ; Paralysis ; Phonation ; Prospective Studies ; Vocal Cords ; Voice

The office-based, un-sedated vocal fold injection laryngoplasty has re-emerged in the past decade as an appealing alternative to microsuspension laryngoscopic procedure which is conducted under general anesthesia. The trend toward vocal fold injection laryngoplasty in an in-office setting was possible due to technological evolution for visualization and new injection materials. However, invisibility of the injection needle has been the main shortcomings of cricothyroid approach. The purpose of this review is to provide an up-to-date review of office-based, trans-cricothyroid membrane approach injection laryngoplasty technique under local anesthesia and efforts made to increase the preciseness of amount and location of the injected materials in the management of glottic insufficiency. A review of variable efforts undertaken to maximize the result of cricothyroid approach by technically increasing accuracy of the location of needle tip was done. With the proper patient selection and utilization of the new technologies, office-based and un-sedated vocal fold injection laryngoplasty via cricothyroid approach can be redeem as a main-stay in the management of glottic insufficiency, such as vocal fold paralysis, vocal fold paresis, vocal fold atrophy and vocal fold scar.
Anesthesia, General ; Anesthesia, Local ; Atrophy ; Cicatrix ; Laryngoplasty ; Membranes ; Needles ; Paralysis ; Paresis ; Patient Selection ; Vocal Cords

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of injection laryngoplasty (IL) with hyaluronic acid in patients with vocal fold paralysis (VFP). METHODS: A total of 50 patients with VFP participated in this study. Pre- and post-IL assessments were performed, which included analyzing the sustained vowel /a/ phonation, and the patient reading 1 Korean sentence from the “Walk” passage that comprised 25 syllables in 10 words. To investigate the effect of IL on vocal fold function, acoustic analysis (acoustic voice quality index, cepstral peak prominence, maximum phonation time, speaking fundamental frequency) was conducted and auditory-perceptual (grade and overall severity), visual judgment (gap), and self-questionnaire (voice handicap index-10) assessments were performed. RESULTS: The patients with VFP showed statistically significant differences between pre-and post-IL assessments for acoustic and auditory-perception, visual judgment, and self-questionnaire assessments. CONCLUSION: The patients with VFP showed positive change in vocal fold function between pre- and post-IL measurements. The findings showed that IL with hyaluronic acid is an effective method to improve vocal fold function in patients with VFP.
Acoustics ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid* ; Judgment ; Laryngoplasty* ; Methods ; Paralysis* ; Phonation ; Vocal Cords* ; Voice Quality

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In unilateral vocal fold paralysis (VFP), medialization thyroplasty (MT), arytenoid adduction (AA) and injection layrngoplasty (IL) are the most common procedures to correct phonatory problems. There is no consensus that which procedure is superior to the other for correcting the glottal insufficiency. The purpose of this study was to compare the phonatory parameters between MT, AA and AA with IL (AA+IL) in patients with unilateral VFP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled patients from 2005 to 2016. Total 72 patients (49 male, 23 female, mean age 54.5 years) were classified into three groups ; MT (n=28), AA (n=12), and AA+IL (n=32). GRBAS scales, maximum phonation time (MPT), jitter, shimmer, noise to harmonic ratio (NHR), and voice handicap index (VHI)-10 and VHI-30 were preoperatively and postoperatively collected and compared between the three groups. RESULTS: Age, gender and cause of VFP were not significantly different between the three groups. In MT and AA groups, MPT, VHI, G (overall grade) and B (breathiness) were significantly improved. In AA+IL group, jitter, shimmer, NHR, MPT, VHI, G and B were significantly improved. In analysis of differences (pre-postoperative values), Δ jitter (p < 0.001), Δ shimmer (p=0.031), and Δ NHR (p=0.002) were significantly different and AA+IL group showed the greatest improvement. CONCLUSION: Analysis of voice parameters showed that all the three procedures for patients with unilateral VFP are effective in the improvement of voice ; especially in MPT, VHI-10, G and B scales. Compared to the others, AA+IL provided the better acoustic values including jitter, shimmer and NHR.
Acoustics ; Consensus ; Female ; Humans ; Laryngoplasty* ; Male ; Noise ; Paralysis* ; Phonation ; Retrospective Studies ; Vocal Cords* ; Voice* ; Weights and Measures