There are variety of methods for treating unilateral vocal cord paralysis. But the use of Teflon injection or a type Ⅰ thyroplasty to medialize the paralyzed vocal fold is usually unsuccessful in correcting a large posterior glottic chink. On
the
other
hand, the arytenoid adduction procedure allows for direct surgical correction of a posterior glottic deficiency. This procedure also pulls the arytenoid cartilage inferiorly, lowering the level of the paralyzed, and correcting the difference of
levels
of the vocal cords. So, it is especially indicated for cases which have a wide glottal chink or a level difference of the two vocal cords. Recently, the authors experienced 8 cases of unilateral vocal cord paralysis treated by arytenoid
adduction.
Improvement of voice after surgery was obtained in all cases. The surgical results of this procedure were evaluated by preoperative and postoperative voice recordings, laryngoscopy, stroboscopy and electroglottography. As objective voice
parameters,
maximum phonation time, shimmer, and signal to noise ratio were useful to evaluate the improvement of glottal function. In conclusion, arytenoid adduction is recommended as an effective and reliable treatment for unilateral vocal cord paralysis
with a
large glottal gap. (Korean J Otolaryngol 38:4, 1995)
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