Autologous Tragal Perichondrium Graft for Vocal Fold Scar and Sulcus Vocalis.

Between 2006 and 2016 in a Tertiary Academic Center, 11 patients underwent phonomicrosurgery with tragal perichondrium graft placement in Reinke's space for the treatment of sulcus (Ford type 2) and vocal fold scar. A total of six patients out of 11 had an additional autologous fat implantation in order to improve the glottic closure. We evaluated the functional outcome using the Spanish validated version of the VHI- 30 before and 6 months after the surgery. We also measured the subjective appreciation of the obtained outcome, a perceptual voice evaluation using GRBAS scale, and changes in videostroboscopy examinations concerning mucosal wave and glottic closure. In the VHI-30 questionnaire, we observed an improvement in all patients (six of which showed an improvement of 50% or more) with statistically significant results (P = 0.003), and no significant differences between sulcus (Ford type 2) and vocal cord scar patients (P = 0.7579). The results obtained from the single question assessing changes in voice quality showed a high improvement in seven patients. According to the GRBAS scale, all cases improved. Concerning the results of the videostroboscopy, two patients obtained very favorable results, eight of them presented a moderate recovery and only one improved slightly. The following complications were identified: two granulomas, a graft extrusion and a tragal infection. The tragal perichondrium used as an autograft in Reinke's space appears to be a safe and satisfactory choice, comparable to other grafts such as temporalis fascia or autologous fat.

Granular Cell Tumors of the Larynx: A Clinicopathologic Study of Five Patients.

Granular cell tumors (GCT) are uncommon neoplasms that may involve the larynx. Patients affected with a laryngeal GCT usually complain of dysphonia. When they involve the larynx, these tumors have predilection for the posterior half of the vocal cords. Between 2006 and 2018, we have experienced five cases of GCT involving the right true vocal cord. They were diagnosed and successfully treated with microsurgical resection. Here we present this 5-case series and a retrospective review of literature.

Mutational profiling can identify laryngeal dysplasia at risk of progression to invasive carcinoma.

Early diagnosis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) at the stage of dysplasia could greatly improve the outcome of affected patients. For the first time we compared the mutational landscape of non-progressing dysplasia (NPD; n = 42) with progressing dysplasia (PD; n = 24), along with patient-matched LSCC biopsies; a total of 90 samples. Using targeted next-generation sequencing identified non-synonymous mutations in six genes (PIK3CA, FGFR3, TP53, JAK3, MET, FBXW7), and mutations were validated by Sanger sequencing and/or qPCR. Analysis was extended in silico to 530 head and neck (HNSCC) cases using TCGA data. Mutations in PIK3CA and FGFR3 were detected in PD and LSCC cases, as well as other HNSCC cases, but absent in NPD cases. In contrast, mutations in JAK3, MET and FBXW7 were found in NPD cases but not PD, LSCC or other HNSCC cases. TP53 was the most frequently mutated gene in both PD and NPD cases. With the exception of R248W, mutations were mutually exclusive. Moreover, five of seven PD mutations were located in motif H2 of p53, whereas none of the NPD mutations were. In summary, we propose that the mutational profile of laryngeal dysplasia has utility for the early detection of patients at risk of progression.

A review of our experience in phonosurgery in children. / Revisión de nuestra experiencia en fonocirugía infantil.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Dysphonia is a common problem in children, especially those of school age. Exploration of vocal folds is often difficult and less accurate in children. The most frequent lesions found in children with chronic dysphonia are vocal nodules, followed by epidermoid cysts and other congenital lesions, such as sulci and mucosal bridges. The treatment is multidisciplinary and it is fundamentally based on vocal rehabilitation. We indicate surgical treatment in children older than 9 years of age for whom the problem persists after rehabilitation, especially if we suspect a congenital lesion of the vocal fold. METHODS: We present a retrospective study of paediatric phonosurgery performed by the Vocal Pathology Unit of our Hospital over a period of 9 years (2005-2013). Fifty-one children were included, ranging in age from 9 to 16 years old. We analyzed the distribution of the different lesions, both congenital and acquired. We evaluated the results by subjective evaluation by the children's relatives. RESULTS: We obtained a distribution of 76% (n=39) of congenital lesions and 24% (n=12) of acquired lesions. After surgery, there was a global percentage of improvement of 90%, with better results in cases of vocal nodules, without statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of the results of this surgery is controversial and in this study is done with a single question survey administered to relatives. We found an overall result of improvement in 90% of operated cases, without any complications. We obtained better results in vocal nodules, although not reaching statistical significance.

Posterior cordectomy. Our experience.

OBJECTIVE: Several surgical procedures have been proposed for the treatment of respiratory distress secondary to bilateral cord palsy. We performed a retrospective study of our experience in posterior cordectomy with a laser CO(2), analysing the improvement of dyspnoea and voice quality after surgery. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 13 cases (9 female, 4 male). The age range was 25-79 years. Iatrogenic post-thyroidectomy (4 cases) was the most common aetiology of bilateral laryngeal palsy in our study. We assessed the subjective improvement of respiratory function and voice quality after laser surgery using the Spanish adaptation of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI). RESULTS: Dyspnoea improved in all patients. Two cases had a worsening of dyspnoea in the immediate postoperative period and one case was successfully solved with a new surgical intervention. After surgery, most of patients suffered from mild or middle dysphonia. CONCLUSIONS: The posterior cordectomy is an easy, safe and effective treatment for dyspnoea secondary to bilateral laryngeal palsy, maintaining acceptable voice quality.