Autologous Fat Injection Laryngohypopharyngoplasty for Aspiration after Vocal Fold Paralysis

Injection laryngoplasty is one of the procedures for treating unilateral vocal fold paralysis. This is a preliminary report on modified injection laryngoplasty, ie, injection of liposuctioned autologous fat into the larynx and hypopharynx of patients who have aspiration and voice disorders after vocal fold paralysis. Lipoinjection was performed in 3 patients with these complaints with the endolaryngeal microsurgical technique under general anesthesia. The locations of fat injection were the vocal fold, the false vocal fold, the aryepiglottic fold of the larynx, and the medial wall of the pyriform sinus of the hypopharynx. Lipoinjection into the vocal fold, false vocal fold, and aryepiglottic fold strengthened laryngeal closure. Lipoinjection, performed into the thyroarytenoid muscle lateral to the oblong fovea of the arytenoid cartilage, made arytenoid cartilage rotation possible, and consequently strengthened laryngeal closure. Lipoinjection into the medial wall of the pyriform sinus of the hypopharynx reduced its capacity; consequently, the amount of residual food retained in it was reduced and pharyngeal clearance on the affected side was improved. The longest follow-up among the 3 patients has been 24 months. Their aspiration and glottal incompetence have been improved by this operation. We conclude that modified injection laryngoplasty (laryngohypopharyngoplasty) is one of the surgical options for preventing aspiration after vocal fold paralysis.