[Therapy for unilateral vocal fold palsy]

[Laryngeal framework surgery]

Laryngeal framework surgery is an umbrella term for all phonosurgical procedures by which the cartilaginous structure of the larynx and thereby the position and tension of the vocal folds are changed. The aim is to improve the voice. By far the best known and most frequently performed operation is thyroplasty type 1 according to Isshiki, also known as medialization thyroplasty, which is indicated for treatment of glottic insufficiency. Although the first medialization thyroplasty was successfully performed by Payr in Germany in 1915, more than 100 years later, it is still not widely used in Germany.

Diagnostic and therapeutic pitfalls in benign vocal fold diseases

More than half of patients presenting with hoarseness show benign vocal fold changes. The clinician should be familiar with the anatomy, physiology and functional aspects of voice disorders and also the modern diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities in order to ensure an optimal and patient specific management. This review article focuses on the diagnostic and therapeutic limitations and difficulties of treatment of benign vocal fold tumors, the management and prevention of scarred vocal folds and the issue of unilateral vocal fold paresis.

[Reinnervation and neurostimulation of the larynx]

Dynamic rehabilitation of vocal fold paralysis (VFP) should receive more emphasis in the future. In unilateral immobility with signs of atrophy and wide glottal gap, non-selective reinnervation with ansa cervicalis may become an alternative to augmentation and thyroplasty. For bilateral VFP progress has been made in the concepts of selective reinnervation and neurostimulation (pacing). These new therapies have the potential to restore near normal respiration-without compromising the voice quality-and may contribute to the development of larynx transplantation surgery.

[Treatment of glottal gap]

Glottal gaps can be either physiological or pathological. The latter are multifactorial, predominantly organic in origin and occasionally functional. Organic causes include vocal fold paralysis or scarring, as well as a deficiency or excess of tissue. In addition to loss of the mucosal wave, the degree of hoarseness is primarily determined by the circumferential area of the glottal gap. It is thus important to quantify the extent of glottal insufficiency. Although a patient's symptoms form the basis for treatment decisions, these may be subjective and inadequately reflected by the results of auditory-perceptual evaluation, voice analysis and voice performance tests. The therapeutic approach should always combine phonosurgery with conventional voice therapy methods. Voice therapy utilises all the resources made available by the sphincter model of the aerodigestive tract and knowledge on the mechanism of voice production. The aim of phonosurgery is medialization, reconstruction or reinnervation by injection laryngoplasty or larynx framework surgery. These different methods can be combined and often applied directly after vocal fold surgery (primary reconstruction). In conclusion, the techniques described here can be effectively employed to compensate for glottal gaps.