External Laryngeal Surgery Requiring Entry Into the Vocal Tract

Abstract

This chapter concerns those procedures which do require entry into the vocal tract, and one major procedure in this group is that of thyrotomy.Exposure of the interior of the larynx through a vertical section of the thyroid cartilage and its underlying perichondrial mucosa along the midline is the goal of a thyrotomy. It may be performed to remove benign or malignant tumors on the vocal folds or in the subglottic area. A thyrotomy can also be useful when an arytenoidectomy is performed to correct vocal fold paralysis, as well as in association with vocal fold lateralization in bilateral paralysis. Glottic stenosis may also be corrected through a thyrotomy approach and the technique finds additional application in conjunction with various functional corrections as in the plastic surgical formation of a tissue band to function as a vocal fold for a patient whose glottis has required removal.