Long-term histological outcomes of injected autologous fat into human vocal folds after secondary laryngectomy

Abstract

To histologically evaluate the long-term outcomes of autologous fat grafts after injection laryngoplasty in the human larynx. We injected liposuctioned fat for vocal fold augmentation in patients with vocal fold paralysis. We suctioned autologous fat from the low abdomen with an 18-G disposable needle and a 20-mL disposable syringe under negative pressure. This is different from the conventional liposuction technique and avoids the use of special equipment. In this article, we report the histological evaluation of 2 patients (patient 1: 12 months, patient 2: 41 months) who required total laryngectomy after autologous fat injection into the vocal folds. Histological examination revealed normal-appearing viable adipocytes with minimal inflammatory response in both patients. Our liposuctioned autologous fat injection histologically offered long-term improvement in patients with impaired glottal closure from vocal fold paralysis.