Minimally invasive injection laryngoplasty in the management of unilateral vocal cord paralysis after video-assisted mediastinal lymph adenectomy

Introduction Video-assisted mediastinal lymphadenectomy (VAMLA) is a valuable tool for invasive staging of the mediastinum. Unilateral vocal cord paralysis (UVCP) may occur in patients following VAMLA and may result in secretion retention within the lungs, atelectasis and associated infectious situations such as pneumonia. Minimally invasive injection laryngoplasty (ILP) is the treatment of choice in UVCP. Aim To evaluate the efficacy and success of acute minimally invasive injection laryngoplasty for patients with UVCP following VAMLA. Material and methods Patients with the symptom of dysphonia following VAMLA were reviewed. All of the patients had UVCP according to the video laryngoscopy examination and had symptoms of aspiration and ineffective coughing. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) questionnaire and maximum phonation time (MPT) were measured. Minimally invasive ILP was performed under general anesthesia with 1 cm of hyaluronic acid. Results There were 525 consecutive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who underwent VAMLA. Five (0.95%) of the patients had UVCP and were suffering from aspiration during oral intake and ineffective coughing reflex. Maximum phonation time (MFT) was measured before and after ILP, and the results were 7.1 ±1.6 and 11.1 ±2.3 s, respectively (p < 001). The Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) score was 30.4 ±4.7 and 13.4 ±3.5 (p < 0.01), respectively. Patients underwent surgical lung resection. There was no morbidity or mortality. Conclusions Unilateral vocal cord paralysis may occur as a complication of VAMLA. ILP may be an active tool for treating UVCP before anatomical lung resection to avoid potential morbidities. Successful management of this complication with multidisciplinary team work may encourage the use of VAMLA more frequently.