Faculty Collaboration Database

Feasibility and acute healing of vocal fold microflap incisions in a rabbit model. Laryngoscope 2012 Mar;122(3):600-5

Date

01/19/2012

Pubmed ID

22253007

Pubmed Central ID

PMC3387431

DOI

10.1002/lary.22470

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84857454803 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   15 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of performing mucosal elevation of a vocal fold microflap in a rabbit model and to measure the acute healing of rabbit microflap incisions compared to control vocal folds.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective animal study.

METHODS: Ten New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. All rabbits received a 3-mm incision through the epithelium of one vocal fold using a sickle knife and mucosal elevation through this incision using a microlaryngeal fine-angled spatula. The contralateral vocal fold was left intact to serve as an internal control. Student t tests were used to investigate differences in epithelial thickness, immunohistochemical staining of CD45, and inflammatory and profibrotic gene expression between vocal folds undergoing microflap and control.

RESULTS: Exposure of the rabbit larynx was achieved, allowing for the identification of a surgical plane and the creation of a microflap and elevation of the vocal fold mucosa. Hematoxylin-and-eosin staining revealed no significant differences in epithelial thickness, immunohistochemistry for CD45 showed no significant differences in CD45-positive cells, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed no significant differences in interleukin-1β, transforming growth factor β-1, or cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression between vocal folds undergoing microflap and control.

CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate the feasibility of vocal fold microflap surgery in a rabbit model. With the advantage of greater access to primers and antibodies for molecular biologic studies, the application of the microflap technique in a small-animal model such as rabbit has broad implications for future experimental investigations in laryngology.

Author List

Suehiro A, Bock JM, Hall JE, Garrett CG, Rousseau B

Author

Jonathan Bock MD Professor in the Otolaryngology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Disease Models, Animal
Feasibility Studies
Follow-Up Studies
Immunohistochemistry
Leukocyte Common Antigens
Prospective Studies
Rabbits
Surgical Flaps
Treatment Outcome
Vocal Cords
Voice Disorders
Wound Healing