Other Therapeutic Vocal Fold Injections

Vocal fold (VF) injection is mainly applied for the treatment of glottic insufficiency or to manage benign VF lesions. Other therapeutic indications for VF injection that are currently available are for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). Various other therapeutic materials for VF injections have been investigated in VF scarring, atrophy, and others. The essential principles of developing an injection material focus on substances that resemble the viscoelastic properties of the lamina propria, in turn promoting VF regeneration to restore mechanical and biochemical features of the VFs, and eventually improving the phonation and the vibratory function of the VF mucosa. Although recent approaches suggest promising therapeutic materials, most of the materials are yet limited for clinical application. Herein, we overview some of the recent studies of therapeutic materials for the VF and its clinical applications for the treatment of RRP, VF scarring, and sulcus vocalis.