Cord Medialization in Unilateral Vocal fold paralysis improves forced vital capacity

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Cord Medialization in Unilateral Vocal fold paralysis improves forced vital capacity Via Clinical Otolaryngology Abstract Objective The lateralized vocal fold of unilateral vocal fold paralysis (ULVFP) is unphysiological for expiration wherein vocal folds normally adduct to increase expiratory resistance and prevent small airway collapse. ULVFP may therefore impair ventilatory function and ventilatory volume. This study seeks to test if vocal fold medialization improves forced vital capacity (FVC). Design Prospective inception cohort intervention study. Setting Academic Tertiary Care Institution. Participants Twenty-five patients of ULVFP with a phonatory gap ranging from 2-6 mm. Main outcome measures Vocal fold medialization undertaken with autologous fat injection. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) assessments by spirometry undertaken pre-treatment and 1month post-treatment. Results Improvement in FVC noted in all patients with the quantum of improvement ranging from 0.1 to 0.6 liters. Mean FVC improved from 3.10 liters pre-injection to 3.45 liters post-injection. (p<0.001). A moderate correlation was noted between the degree of medialization and improvement in FVC (r=0.33, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient) Conclusion Objective improvement in FVC is consistently noted post vocal fold medialization for ULVFP, and is probably mediated by increased glottic expiratory resistance and consequent improvement in intrinsic PEEP. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.