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

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.