Autologous fat augmentation of the vocal fold with basic fibroblast growth factor: Computed tomographic assessment of fat tissue survival after augmentation

Abstract

Conclusion: The volume of fat tissue loss after vocal fold augmentation can be decreased when augmentation is performed with addition of basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF). Objectives: The effectiveness of augmentation is easily decreased due to absorption. Canine experiments have confirmed that the decreased effectiveness caused by absorption after augmentation can be reduced by administering low-concentration b-FGF. Clinical application was trialed after acquiring approval from the institutional clinical review committee. Method: Autologous fat tissue with b-FGF was injected into the vocal folds in cases of unilateral vocal cord paralysis. This study compared fat tissue survival after injection by assessing images from computed tomography (CT). Results: Assessments using CT revealed that the decrease in volume of injected fat tissue was smaller in cases treated using b-FGF than in cases using the conventional method. No severe complications were encountered using this method.

Keywords:

• Regenerative medicine
• autologous fat tissue
• unilateral vocal cord paralysis

Acknowledgments

We wish to express our special thanks to Professor H. Sugihara (International University of Health and Welfare, Fukuoka, Japan) for his help and support with the pathologic study.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.