Vocal fold augmentation (replenishment) is an established method for treating vocal fold insufficiency – it is a minimally invasive procedure performed under general anesthesia. In this procedure, the vocal folds are either re-filled with synthetic materials, such as hyaluronic acid or with the patient's own body (autologous) fatty tissue. Autologous fatty tissue has the advantage that no rejection reactions such as inflammation, nodule formation or allergic reactions will occur. In addition, the nature of the autologous fat makes it possible to maintain a supple and smooth vocal fold, after the injection.
Harvesting cannula
Under general anesthesia, small amounts of the patient's own fatty tissue are removed, preferably from the abdominal area. The VoiceInject® system directly addresses this seemingly unspectacular procedure: Whereas harvesting was previously carried out via cannula with think-walled, cut openings, now, a special arrangement and the embedded suction openings in the harvesting cannula guarantee an extremely gentle procedure.
Injection cannula
Afterward extraction, the fatty tissue is processed in a centrifuge to separate the actual fatty tissue from the components that are not to be used (blood cells, serum, free fatty acids, cell debris). The purified fatty tissue is then injected into the vocal fold using a specially made injection needle. The new design of the injection needle, reduces the compression of the fat cells to an absolute minimum. Voice disorders can be successfully treated this way to restore the patient´s natural voice, even many years after the initial onset.