top of page

Medialization Laryngoplasty: A Review for Speech-Language Pathologists




About one in three individuals will experience some form of dysphonia in their lifetime, and need attention of speech-language pathologists. In dysphonia caused by glottic incompetence, a laryngologist may recommend medialization laryngoplasty as well. The most widely studied indication for this is unilateral vocal fold paralysis. This can cause a glottal gap that itself leads to dysphonia, or dysphagia or to respiratory sequelae. Type I thyroplasty, or vocal fold injection augmentation (VFIA), is now the common form of intervention. VFIA is an effective, temporary, and relatively low-risk treatment approach, particularly appropriate for glottal insufficiency that may resolve on its own. The procedure adds implant bulk or filler to vocal fold tissue, that indirectly presses the impaired fold toward the midline and facilitates glottic closure during phonation. The goal is to optimise the integrity of the vibratory margin. VFIA can be performed in the office, without the risks associated with general anesthesia. Type I thyroplasty is also becoming an option for patients requiring or preferring a more permanent resolution of their glottal insufficiency, as advancements in methods and materials continue to improve patient outcomes. The shape and makeup of implanted materials and the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of glottal insufficiency continue to improve. Computational modeling-based implant optimization and bioengineering of novel implantable materials are recently active research areas.

A complete review of medialization laryngoplasty for the benefit of speech-language pathologists exists in Wilson A, et al., J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2021 Feb 17;64(2):481-490. doi: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00344.

MyoNews from BreatheWorksTM is a report on trends and developments in oromyofunctional disorder and therapy. These updates are not intended as diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease or syndrome.


4 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Title: Surgical and Speech Therapy Evaluation of Lingual Frenulum Introduction: The lingual frenulum, also known as the tongue tie, is a small band of tissue that connects the underside of the tongue

Title: Prevalence of Laryngeal Muscle Tension in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder characterized by repeated episodes of part

Title: Orofacial Dysfunction Screening Examinations in Children with Sleep-Disordered Breathing Symptoms Introduction: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a common condition among children that can ha

bottom of page