Abstract
Unilateral vocal cord paralysis causes hoarseness and aspiration, and reduces the quality of life of the paralyzed patient. For these patients who cannot spontaneously recover, atrophy can be improved through medialization of the paralyzed vocal cord by reinnervation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Though this technique is widely recognized, improvement of symptoms cannot be observed until several months after the reinnervation. Rapid reduction of symptoms with additional improvement of voice quality can be acquired by arytenoid adduction combined with reinnervation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve within the same operative field. Ten patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis underwent this procedure. Rapid improvement of maximum phonation time （MPT） was observed postoperatively, and additional prolongation of MPT was recognized more than 7 months later. A statistical difference was observed between preoperative MPT and postoperative MPT. Subjective voice assessment employing the GRBAS scale identified improvement of overall grade （G） from the preoperative to postoperative period and more than 7 months later. Improvement was identified in vocal quality of breathiness from the preoperative period to the same periods. This technique is more favorable than reinnervation alone, because rapid reduction of symptoms can be acquired postoperatively.
