The effectiveness of autologous fat injection laryngoplasty may be reduced by resorption of injected fat tissue. The aim of the present study was to clarify the efficacy of fat injection laryngoplasty using autologous fat plus a replication-defective adenoviral vector expressing hepatocyte growth factor, regarding reduction of injected fat tissue resorption.

Four female beagle dogs were used in this study. After sedation, a direct laryngoscope was introduced to enable visualisation of the larynx. In each dog, harvested autologous fat plus an adenoviral vector expressing hepatocyte growth factor was injected into the right true vocal fold, and harvested fat plus an adenoviral vector expressing no gene was injected into the left true vocal fold. A total laryngectomy was performed one year after the intracordal fat injection. Coronal sections of the resected whole larynges were made and the following parameters assessed using light and electron microscopy: size of fat area; number of vasculoendothelial cells surrounding adipocytes; and shape of injected adipocytes in the vocal fold.

The fat area was significantly larger and the number of vasculoendothelial cells surrounding adipocytes significantly greater in the intracordal fat injection containing adenoviral vector expressing hepatocyte growth factor, compared with the control intracordal fat injection containing adenoviral vector expressing no gene. When viewed under electron microscopy, the injected adipocytes were observed to have grafted better in the intracordal fat injection with hepatocyte growth factor adenoviral vector, compared with the control intracordal fat injection with adenoviral vector expressing no gene.

Injection into the vocal fold of autologous fat containing an adenoviral vector expressing hepatocyte growth factor can reduce subsequent resorption of injected fat.

To evaluate differences between the functional results of framework surgery and autologous fat injection laryngoplasty, for patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis.

Sixty-two patients underwent framework surgery, while 64 received autologous fat injection laryngoplasty. Voice function before and after both procedures was assessed using aerodynamic and acoustic analysis, with differences evaluated using paired t-test in both groups.

In both groups, all parameters improved significantly after surgery, compared with before surgery. Post-operative improvement in all parameters was significantly greater after fat injection laryngoplasty, compared with framework surgery.

Autologous fat injection laryngoplasty was thus found to be a more effective and reliable therapy for improving voice function in patients with vocal fold paralysis, compared with framework surgery.