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Background: Voice and swallowing impairments can impact on both quality of life and survival. Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) as a result of distant metastasis can cause breathy voice and aspiration. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a less invasive and effective alternative therapy for UVFP.Methods: This was a retrospective review of prospectively enrolled patients at a tertiary referral center in Taiwan. Among a cohort of 177 patients who received intracordal hyaluronate injections, 2 had UVFP from distant metastasis and met the inclusion criteria. Vocal cord motion was recorded by videostroboscopy, and the normalized glottal gap area was measured. Voice quality, defined by speech language pathologists, and swallowing status were compared, and immediate complications after the injection were investigated.Results: Two patients with UVFP with M1 lesions (both lung) accepted the procedure. The glottal gap area was significantly improved 1 month after in-office hyaluronate injection. Voice quality and aspiration were also improved. No immediate complications were noted in either patient.Conclusions: In-office intracordal hyaluronate injection is a safe and effective treatment for UVFP, providing a palliative method to help maintain the patient's voice and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association of laryngoplasty, voice therapy, and pneumonia rate in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP)., Study Design: Population-based retrospective cohort study., Setting: Data were collected from the LHID2000 (Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000), containing the information of 1 million randomly selected patients in Taiwan., Methods: In the LHID2000, we identified 439 patients having new diagnoses of UVFP from 1997 to 2013. We grouped the aforementioned patients according to UVFP treatment and probed the occurrence of pneumonia: 305 patients underwent laryngoplasty or voice therapy, and 134 patients did not undergo treatment. Follow-up procedures were executed for the enrollees until death or December 31, 2013, representing the end of the study period. We assessed the association of UVFP treatment and pneumonia by executing Cox proportional hazards regression., Results: The pneumonia cumulative incidence was significantly higher among enrolled patients without treatment than in those receiving treatment ( P < .001). The pneumonia incidence was significantly lower in patients receiving UVFP treatment (hazard ratio, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.27-0.88; P = .018), as validated by the Cox proportional hazards model after adjustment. Patients undergoing laryngoplasty with or without voice therapy had a significantly lower incidence of pneumonia at 6 months and 1, 3, and 5 years, whereas those undergoing voice therapy alone did not., Conclusion: Laryngoplasty was associated with a lower incidence of short- and long-term pneumonia in patients with UVFP. Physicians should encourage patients with UVFP at risk of aspiration to receive prompt evaluation as well as treatment.