Abstract
Injection therapy to the vocal cords was performed for 87 patients with unilateral paralysis after esophagectomy. A bronchoscope was inserted transnasaly and atelocollagen was injected using a needle with a 4 mm-length tip. Injection was performed within 7 days after esophagectomy in 27 patients, within 14 days in 21 patients and within 30 days in 19 patients. As complications, 3 patients had nasal bleeding, 2 had laryngeal edema and 3 had fever. None of the 17 patients who recovered from their paralysis had any late complication in vocal cord function. Of the 48 patients who received injection within 14 days, 6 patients had pneumonia but none needed intubation, tracheostomy or mechanical ventilation. Injection therapy to the vocal cords using a bronchoscope was therefore useful to prevent pulmonary complications in patients with unilateral paralysis after esophagectomy.
