Abstract
Laterofixation of the vocal cord, as reported by Ejnell et al., is a simple, reliable surgical intervention for respiratory distress due to bilateral vocal cord paralysis. This report summarizes the surgical outcomes of the patient's respiratory and phonatory functions in cases that underwent this operation. Ten patients with bilateral vocal cord paralysis were included. Five patients had received a tracheotomy prior to the Ejnell's laterofixation. For 6 patients the surgeon used Ejnell's conventional technique with minor modification, and with 4 patients the operation was performed with the aid of an endo-extralaryngeal needle carrier (EENC). Postoperatively, the dyspnea was eliminated in all of the patients in both groups and the five patients who had required a tracheotomy were successfully decannulated. Spirometry confirmed the improvements in the FEV 1.0 % and peak expiratory flow. They were also maintained during the long-term follow-up period. The postoperative decline in the phonatory function was insignificant and the voice was found to be socially acceptable in all patients. The phonatory function gradually improved in association with a slight medializa- tion of the vocal cords. In the EENC group, postoperative phonatory function tended to be worse than that in the conventional group. This may be because the vocal cord is pulled downward by the EENC procedure.
