Abstract
A series of 87 cases of vocal fold granuloma was reported. Twenty-eight cases had a history of intubation (intubation group), while the remaining 59 had not (non-intubation group). Males were more numbers in the non-intubation group, while there were more females in the intubation group. In the non-intubation group, vocal abuse appeared to be a possible cause in 10 cases, while the cause was idiopathic in the other 48 cases. The main symptom was hoarseness in both groups. In 61 cases granuloma developed at the vocal process. The initial treatments were biopsy in 24, medication in 19, removal under local anesthesia in 13, and microlaryngoscopic removal under general anesthesia in 10. Recurrence after initial treatment was rare after medication, and more frequent after surgical removal. In the intubation group 40 cases needed additional therapy after ther initial treatment. Improvement was obtained within 4.6 months on the average in the intubation group, mainly by the use of medication, while a longer time was needed in the non-intubation group. It was concluded that the use of medication should be the initial treatment for both groups, although non-intubation granuloma might be rather resistant to different types of treatment.
