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. 2023 Sep;133(9):2333-2339.
doi: 10.1002/lary.30539. Epub 2023 Jan 3.

Duration of Clinical Response After In-Office Steroid Injection for Vocal Fold Scar

Lucas G Axiotakis Jr  1 , Necati Enver  1 , Evan L Kennedy  1 , Kimberly A Duncan  1 , Michael J Pitman  1
Affiliations

Duration of Clinical Response After In-Office Steroid Injection for Vocal Fold Scar

Lucas G Axiotakis Jr et al. Laryngoscope. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the duration of clinical response after in-office vocal fold steroid injection (VFSI) for vocal fold (VF) scar.

Methods: Demographic and clinical data for in-office VFSI occurring from 2017 to 2020 were collected. Two Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) used perceptual evaluation of voice and functional scales to evaluate blinded voice and laryngovideostroboscopy (LVS) samples collected pre- and post-injection across multiple timepoints.

Results: Blinded SLP ratings were used for 30 individual VFs undergoing initial injection in 18 patients. Persistent improvement in voice past 6 months was seen in 57% of patients after VFSI. Multiple measures of voice and amplitude, percent vibrating tissue, and closed phase predominance significantly improved at various follow-up timepoints on average.

Conclusion: Accounting for patient heterogeneity and disease progression, in-office VFSI for VF scar is associated with sustained improvement in a subset of patients. Approximately half of patients can expect to experience a lasting improvement in voice. Future studies of larger scale are required to identify patient factors associated with long-term benefit.

Level of evidence: 4 Laryngoscope, 133:2333-2339, 2023.

Keywords: laryngology; vocal fold paralysis/paresis/motion impairment; voice/dysphonia.

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References

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