Abstract
Occasionally the air flow rate during phonation is inadequetely improved by endoscopic microsurgery for vocal cord polyps, nodules and Reinke's edema. To clarify the factors influencing the air flow rate after surgery, we studied severity of the laryngeal lesion and the improvement of hoarseness in patients with inadequete flow rate.
1) In patients with polyps, the large and/or bilateral lesions appeared to cause inadequete improvement of the flow rate. There was no relationship between improvement of the flow rate and hoarseness after surgery.
2) A patient with vocal cord nodules and little improvement of the flow rate had red vocal cords before surgery and no reduction of hoarseness.
3) In a patient with Reinke's edema, good relief of hoarseness was obtained regard less of little improvement of flow rate which did not relate to severity of the laryngeal lesion.
