Surgical Intervention for Presbyphonia

Abstract

Current therapeutic approaches for presbyphonia are generally categorized into non-invasive and surgical methods. Voice therapy is commonly chosen as initial treatment modality used to reduce maladaptive compensatory muscle behavior and to improve glottal closure. Nevertheless, in advanced cases of presbyphonia, glottal insufficiency may be aggravated, reducing the benefits of voice therapy. To manage the glottal insufficiency observed in such cases, surgical intervention is performed to medialize the vocal folds. Available surgical modalities include injection laryngoplasty and type I thyroplasty. Additionally, cutting-edge regenerative treatments, such as the injection of basic fibroblast growth factor, are under investigation internationally and show promising outcomes. This review aims to elucidate the current indications and relevance of surgical interventions for presbylarynx.