NIRO TAYAMA, MD; SEIJI NIIMI, MD; RYUSABURO HIGO, MD
TOKYO, JAPAN

YASUSHI MURAKAMI, MD
SHIZUOKA, JAPAN

HAJIME HIROSE, MD
KANAGAWA, JAPAN

Arytenoid adduction (AA) is the most suitable procedure for improving the symptoms of unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVP) when the posterior glottal gap is wide, or when the vocal folds differ in vertical position. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of AA for UVP of various causes retrospectively. Arytenoid adduction was performed on 120 patients with UVP that resulted in a posterior glottal gap during phonation. Maximum phonation time (MPT) and airway interruption tests were selected as the estimations of the patients' voices. Ninety-eight patients performed the MPT test before and after operation, and 50 patients performed the airway interruption test. The average MPT was 5.56 seconds before operation and 14.17 seconds after operation. In 92 patients, the MPT was increased after operation. Glottal efficiency was 0.209 before operation and 1.004 after operation. From these results, AA appeared to be effective for improvement of the voice in UVP.