Clinical Study of Polypoid Vocal Cords

Abstract

Microsurgery of the larynx has been widely performed on many larygeal lesions since the precise operation is practicable through the operating microscope. Experienced in more than 1300 cases in clinic, this is believed the most effective operative procedures.The study of the postoperative results, however, revealed that excellent restoration of the voice is not always obtained in the case of polypoid vocal cords in comparison with vocal polyps, vocal nodules or the like. This fact let the author make an attempt to devise new surgical procedures to be employed in microsurgery of the larynx for the treatment of polypoid vocal cords.Recent histopathological or histochemical study showed that, in the case of polypoid degeneration of the vocal cord, epithelium of the vocal cords is usually unaffected.This new surgical procedure, hence, is carried out without removal epithelium of the vocal cords. Excision of the epithelium was longitudinally performed on the almost midline of the vocal cords. And then, pathological mucous substances under the epithelium were just removed by suction.It should be emphasized that this procedure is performed without removal any epithelium. In addition to that, from the author's histochemical study it seems most likely that tnis procedure might stimulate the mechanism of healing pathologic conditions as shown in polyps, polypoid degeneration or the like.In this paper, this new surgical procedure was reported and discussed from the viewpoint of histopathologic study and postperative phonetic results.