The successful treatment of Bamboo node of the vocal fold by percutaneous steroid injection

Abstract

Bamboo nodes of the vocal folds are laryngeal lesions that occur in connection with autoimmune diseases. A 28-year-old woman who complained of hoarseness after a common cold, visited the nearby otorhinolaryngology department. She was diagnosed with a vocal cord nodule, and received oral treatment and inhalation therapy. However, she was referred to our hospital after her symptoms did not change improve. At the first examination, she had double voice, with breathy hoarseness during treble utterances. Fiberoptic laryngoscopy showed a transverse submucosal linear raised mass resembling a bamboo joint node at the middle of the right vocal fold. Stroboscopy showed mucosal wave loss and glottal closure failure behind the lesion. From the medical history and laryngeal findings, she was diagnosed with bamboo node of the vocal fold, and a percutaneous steroid injection procedure was performed. At one month after the injection, her voice was normalized and the bamboo node lesion had almost disappeared. Tests of the vocal function and an acoustic analysis also revealed a significant improvement. The present case suggests that percutaneous steroid injection into the vocal fold can be the first-choice treatment for vocal fold lesions that do not improve with the treatment of the underlying disease.