• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.112-117
• /
• 2013

Background and Objectives : This study aimed to determine the clinical effect of $Artecoll^{(R)}$ injection laryngoplasty for patients with vocal atrophy and mild sulcus vocalis. Materials and Method : Forty-one patients with vocal atrophy and/or mild sulcus vocalis received transcutaneous $Artecoll^{(R)}$ injection into the vocal folds under local anesthesia. Subjective evaluations including voice handicap index (VHI) and perceptual grading with Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, Strain (GRBAS) scales and objective evaluations including jitter, shimmer, noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR), speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) and maximum phonation time (MPT) were evaluated before and 3 months after the injection. Results : VHI and Grade, Breathiness and Strain scales in GRBAS showed significant improvement 3 months after injection. SFF and MPT also significantly improved after the injection ; MPT increased and SFF in male patients decreased. Conclusion : Injection laryngoplasty with $Artecoll^{(R)}$ is an effective method for correcting the glottal insufficiency and improving voice quality in patients with vocal atrophy and/or mild sulcus.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.11-15
• /
• 2007

Background and Objectives: $VoCoM^{(R)}$ is a set composed of prefabricated hydroxylapatite implants and shims of various sizes that are designed for the type I thyroplasty, Authors aimed to evaluate the efficacy of $VoCoM^{(R)}$ System in type I thyroplasty. Materials and Method: Twenty three patients with unilateral vocal cord palsy were included in the study, who received type I thyroplasty with $VoCoM^{(R)}$ between May 2000 and May 2007 in St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea, Acoustic, aerodynamic and stroboscopic analyses were performed pre-and post-operatively, Subjective voice improvement was analysed by Voice handicap index, Results : Preoperative jitter was $4.68{\pm}2.46%$ and improved to $3.19{\pm}1.94%$(P<0,05), Preoperative NHR was $0.26{\pm}0.1$ and improved to $0.18{\pm}0,07$(P<0.05), Preoperative MPT was $6.16{\pm}4.9$secs improved to $9.55{\pm}4.67$secs(p<0.05), The postoperative stroboscopy revealed an effective medialization of vocal fold of all patients, Conclusion: Type I thyroplasty using $VoCoM^{(R)}$ is a efficient, safe and convenient way of vocal fold medialization at the expense of its high cost and difficulty in removal.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.118-122
• /
• 2017

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), ${\Delta}$ jitter (p<0.001), ${\Delta}$ shimmer (p=0.031), and ${\Delta}$ 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.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.25-29
• /
• 2016

Background and Objectives : The clinical reports for the treatment of vocal fold scar and sulcus vocalis are limited, also there is no best one for the treatment of them. This study is to evaluate the effect of Injection laryngoplasty (IL) for the treatment of vocal fold scar and sulcus vocalis. Materials and Methods : from January 2013 to May 2015, the Nineteen patients who were diagnosed as vocal fold scar, sulcus and atrophy, and underwent IL, were engaged in this study. Clinical information and voice parameters were analyzed by retrospective chart review. Pre and post voice parameters were compared. Results : Subgroups of diagnosis were classified into sulcus vocalis for 12 patients, vocal fold scar for 5, and atrophy for 2. IL was performed under local anesthesia through cricothyroid membrane except one patient. Atesense$^{(R)}$, Radiessess$^{(R)}$, and Rofilan$^{(R)}$ were used as injected materials in 9, 9, and 1 patients respectively. Maximal phonation time (p=0.0124), dynamic range (p=0.0028), pitch range (p=0.0141), voice handicap index (p=0.028), glottal closure (p=0.0229), and mucosal wave (p=0.0132) had significant improvement for post-IL voice assessment than Pre-IL. While GRBAS, Mean flow rate, Jitter, Shimmer, Harmony to Noise ratio didn't have improvement. Conclusion : IL is a feasible option for the treatment of glottis incompetence with normally mobile vocal folds such as sulcus vocalis and vocal fold scar.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.166-171
• /
• 2022

Background and Objectives Vocal fold (VF) scar is known to be the most common cause of dysphonia after laryngeal microsurgery (LMS). Steroids reduce postoperative scar formation by inhibiting inflammation and collagen deposition. However, the clinical evidence of whether steroids are helpful in reducing VF scar formation after LMS is still lacking. The purpose of this study is to determine whether intralesional VF steroid injection after LMS helps to reduce postoperative scar formation and voice quality. Materials and Method This study was conducted on 80 patients who underwent LMS for VF polyp, Reinke's edema, and leukoplakia. Among them, 40 patients who underwent VF steroid injection after LMS were set as the injection group, and patients who had similar sex, age, and lesion size and who underwent LMS alone were set as the control group. In each group, stroboscopy, multi-dimensional voice program, Aerophone II, and voice handicap index (VHI) were performed before and 1 month after surgery, and the results were statistically analyzed. Results There were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of sex, age, symptom duration, occupation and smoking status between each group. Both groups consisted of VF polyp (n=21), Reinke's edema (n=11), and leukoplakia (n=9). On stroboscopy, the lesion disappeared after surgery, and the amplitude and mucosal wave were symmetrical on both sides of the VFs in all patients. Acoustic parameters and VHI significantly improved after surgery in all patients. However, there was no significant difference between the injection and control group in most of the results. Conclusion There was no significant difference in the results of stroboscopy, acoustic, aerodynamic, and subjective evaluation before and after surgery in the injection group and the control group.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.71-75
• /
• 2012

Recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis is the most common and serious complication after thyroid cancer surgery. The objective of this study was to report the advantages of the vein wrapping technique for nerve reconstruction in patients with thyroid cancer invading the recurrent laryngeal nerve and its effects on postoperative phonatory function. The subjects were three patients who underwent resection of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during surgical extirpation of papillary thyroid cancer. Free ansa cervicalis nerve graft or direct neurorrhaphy with a vein wrapping technique was used to facilitate nerve regeneration, protect the anastomosed nerve site mechanically, and prevent neuroma formation. One-year postoperative laryngoscopic examination revealed good vocal cord mobility. Maximum phonation time ($19.5{\pm}0.3$ sec) was longer than a previously-reported value in conventional reconstruction patients ($18.8{\pm}6.6$ sec). The present phonation efficiency index ($7.88{\pm}0.78$) was higher than that previously calculated in conventional reconstruction ($7.59{\pm}2.82$). The mean value of the Voice Handicap Index-10 was 6, which was within the normal range. This study demonstrates improvement in phonation indices measured 1 year after recurrent laryngeal nerve reconstruction. Our results confirm that the vein wrapping technique has theoretical advantages and could be favored over conventional reconstruction techniques for invenerate nerve injuries.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.101-106
• /
• 2019

Background and Objectives Reinke's edema is a benign vocal fold disease caused by an edematous laryngeal superficial layer of lamina propria. The first line treatment is cessation of smoking and laryngeal microsurgery. The aim of the study is to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of percutaneous steroid injection via cricothyroid membrane in patients with Reinke's edema. Materials and Method From Jan 2010 to July 2018, 33 Patients with Reinke's edema managed by vocal fold steroid injection via the cricothyroid membrane were included in this study. We compared medical records of laryngoscopy, stroboscopy and Multi-Dimensional Voice Program analysis at pre-treatment and post-treatment. Subjective voice improvement was evaluated using Voice Handicap Index-30 (VHI-30). Results 75.7% of the patients showed partial response and 6.06% showed complete response. 93.94% were present smokers and only 4 patients ceased smoking after the treatment. In acoustic analysis, the pre-treatment mean value of jitter, shimmer, and noise to harmonic ratio was 2.30±3.21, 9.34±10.37, 1.11±2.90 each. The post-treatment value was 2.20±1.89, 6.96±5.30, 0.20±0.09 respectively and none of the parameters were statistically significant. For subjective symptom improvement, 25 (75.8%) patients showed a better score on post-treatment VHI-30 compared to pre-treatment. Conclusion According to our study, steroid injection is a relatively safe and effective procedure for patients with Reinke's edema. 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, however cessation of smoking is necessary for effective treatment.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.75-82
• /
• 2010

Many previous studies based on respiratory characteristics of Idiopathic Parkinson's Diseases (IPD) patients have not controlled related factors appropriately. Accordingly, these studies produced discordant results. Furthermore, there is currently a lack of studies that can provide precise explanations on the characteristics of respiration and phonation. This study included a total of 40 subjects: 20 mixed gender de novo IPD patients ranging in age from 50 to 80 (Hoehn & Yahr stage 1~3), and 20 normal subjects with similar matches for age and gender. All participants were controlled based on their gender, age, height, weight, vocal fold function, cognitive abilities, and depression factors. K-MMSE (Korean-Mini Mental State Examination), nVHI-10 (new Voice Handicap Index), and KGDS (Korean Form of Geriatric Depression Scale) were evaluated to select this study subjects. In order to compare respiratory functions between the two groups, FVC, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC were measured using microQuark, a PC-based spirometer. CSL was used by measure MPT and PAS was used to measure MFR. To investigate the characteristics of phonation ability, CSL was used to measure jitter and shimmer, while PAS was used to measure Psub. In order to compare the respiratory function averages and phonation ability between the two groups, statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS (version 12.0). The results of this study showed that most de novo IPD patients were included in the normal average range of respiratory and phonatory ability. But the respiratory and phonatory ability of de novo IPD patients showed lower tendency as compared with the normal group. When the average of respiratory and phonatory ability among the gender was compared, the difference of males was greater than the difference of females.