Vocal Cord Injection (Injection Laryngoplasty)

Vocal cord injection places a filler into or beside a weak, paralysed or thinned vocal cord to bulk it up and move it toward the midline, so that the two cords meet when you speak and swallow. Botulinum toxin injections into the laryngeal muscles are a different use, for spasmodic dysphonia.

It gives a stronger, less breathy voice and a more effective cough, and can reduce food or drink going down the wrong way. Most fillers are temporary, lasting from 2 to 3 months up to 1 to 2 years, and the injection cannot restore movement to a paralysed cord.

What Vocal Cord Injection (Injection Laryngoplasty) involves

A laryngologist first examines your voice box with a flexible camera and stroboscopy, and looks for the cause of any paralysis, often with a CT scan from skull base to chest. For the awake procedure, your nose and throat are numbed with spray and a thin camera is passed through the nose to show the cords on a screen. A fine needle is introduced through the skin of the neck, passing through the membrane above or below the thyroid cartilage, or through the mouth with a curved needle. The filler is placed deep and to the side of the cord, in the paraglottic space, until the edge moves to the midline, slightly overcorrecting because the carrier gel is absorbed. You are asked to speak so the effect can be judged.

Who is a good candidate for Vocal Cord Injection (Injection Laryngoplasty)?

For people whose vocal cords do not close properly.

• One-sided vocal cord paralysis after thyroid, chest, spine or carotid surgery, or of unknown cause
• Early paralysis, as a temporary measure while waiting up to 12 months to see if the nerve recovers
• Age-related thinning of the cords (presbyphonia) with a weak, tiring voice
• A gap due to scar or loss of tissue
• Aspiration linked to poor cord closure

It is usually not the right choice if:

• Both cords paralysed near the midline, where the problem is a narrow airway
• Hoarseness that has not been investigated to exclude a tumour
• People on anticoagulants that cannot be managed for the procedure
• Large gaps at the back of the larynx, which respond better to framework surgery
• Allergy to the chosen material

الخيارات التقنية

• Hyaluronic acid: Lasts about 3 to 6 months. Reversible, and suited to trial injections and early paralysis.
• Calcium hydroxylapatite: Lasts 12 to 18 months or more. For established paralysis when longer effect is wanted.
• Autologous fat: Harvested from your abdomen under general anaesthetic. Variable survival, sometimes lasting years.
• Thyroplasty (framework surgery): A permanent implant through the neck when long-term correction is needed.
• Botulinum toxin: A separate treatment for spasmodic dysphonia, repeated every 3 to 4 months.

ماذا يحدث خلال علاجك

Awake injection takes 15 to 30 minutes in a procedure room under local anaesthetic. You will feel pressure in the neck and an urge to cough or swallow. Under general anaesthetic through a laryngoscope it takes a similar time as a day case.

الإعداد لرحلتك

A single session is usual, with an assessment visit before it and a camera check a few days later, so 3 to 5 days is enough. Temporary fillers need repeating, which is a poor reason for repeated long trips; if you need lasting correction, ask about thyroplasty instead.

• Tell the doctor about medication, allergies, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and any history of cold sores, keloid scars or autoimmune disease
• Avoid alcohol, aspirin and anti-inflammatory painkillers for a few days beforehand if your own doctor agrees, to reduce bruising
• Arrive without make-up on the treatment area and avoid sunbeds and strong sun for two weeks before

التعافي والنتائج

Do not eat or drink for 1 to 2 hours until the throat numbness wears off. The voice is often rough or strained for a few days because of deliberate overfilling, then settles. Rest your voice for 24 to 48 hours. Speech therapy afterwards helps you get the most from the better closure.

• Back to everyday activity: 1 to 2 days of voice rest
• When results show: Within a few days
• How long they last: 3 months to 2 years, depending on filler

سياسة السلامة والمخاطر والتنقيح

The procedure is low risk, but it takes place at the airway, so it is done where emergencies can be handled.

• Temporary worsening of the voice from swelling or overcorrection
• Filler placed too superficially, stiffening the cord and giving a rough voice
• Bruising or bleeding in the cord
• Airway swelling causing breathing difficulty, which is rare
• Too little effect, or an effect that wears off sooner than expected
• Inflammatory reaction or migration of the material

Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.

Cost of Vocal Cord Injection (Injection Laryngoplasty) in Türkiye

Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Vocal Cord Injection (Injection Laryngoplasty), because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:

• Material chosen and quantity
• Awake procedure or general anaesthetic
• Stroboscopy and imaging beforehand
• Speech therapy sessions

Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

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