Impact of patient-related factors on the outcomes of office-based injection laryngoplasty

Objectives/HypothesisIn-office percutaneous injection laryngoplasty (IL) is a common treatment for glottal insufficiency. The objective of this prospective study was to determine if voice outcomes from IL are affected by age, gender, or initial disease severity. Study DesignProspective case series. MethodsConsecutive adult patients undergoing awake injection laryngoplasty were recruited from a subspecialty laryngology clinic. Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30); Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V); and Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia and Strain (GRBAS) Dysphonia Scale were evaluated prior to and 2 months after injection. Patients who had more severe disease were defined as those patients with greater initial perception of handicap, with a VHI score greater than 60. ResultsThirty-five subjects were enrolled, and 27 (16 male; mean age 61.6 13.2 years) had complete data. No impact from age or gender was seen on outcomes from IL as measured by VHI-30 (P = 0.397 for age; P = 0.764 for gender), CAPE-V (P = 0.675 for age, P = 0.975 for gender), or GRBAS (P = 0.213 for age, P = 0.983 for gender). Patients with poorer initial VHI tended to have more significant improvement (P = 0.002), which may represent a ceiling effect. ConclusionsIn this prospective clinical study, age and gender did not affect outcome in IL. Patients with more severe disease appeared to have greater improvement.