Office-Based Steroid Injection for Benign Lesions of the Vocal Folds: Case Series and Review of the Literature

Abstract

ObjectiveTo present the authors’ experience on intralesional steroid injection (ILSI) for benign lesions of the vocal folds and a review of the literature. Study designRetrospective chart review. MethodsThe medical records of patients with vocal folds nodules, polyps, Reinke’s edema, laryngitis/localized edema, and vocal fold granuloma who underwent ILSI were reviewed. Disease regression was assessed by reviewing the video-recordings of laryngeal endoscopy before and after surgery. Subjective and objective voice outcome measures were compared before and after office-based ILSI. ResultsForty-seven patients with 81 lesions were included. The most common lesion treated was Reinke’s edema followed by vocal fold nodules. All patients who presented for follow-up (n=37), had partial or complete regression of their disease. When stratified by disease type, vocal fold polyps showed the highest percentage of complete regression (66.7%) followed by vocal fold nodules (65%). The mean voice handicap index-10 (VHI-10) score of the study group dropped from 16.63±6.95 to 6.21±6.09 points (p<0.001). Patients with vocal fold polyps had the highest drop in the mean VHI-10 score by16.66±4.73 (p=0.026). There was no significant difference in the mean acoustic and aerodynamic parameters before and after office-based steroid injection. ConclusionIntralesional steroid injection is an effective treatment modality for benign lesions of the vocal folds leading to partial or complete disease regression and self-reported improvement in voice quality.