The Montgomery Thyroplasty Implant System: A 360° Assessment

Abstract

This thesis provides a 360° assessment of one thyroplasty implant called the Montgomery Thyroplasty Implant System (MTIS).

The author made an effort to use alternative and innovative research techniques. The originality lies in the choice of the Pareto technique as literature review, in the technique of the e-mail survey as to the use of voice indicators by practitioner, in a proof-of-concept study of an innovative (perhaps even disruptive) endoscopic measuring technique, and finally in the development of a new concept, the α -ratio with the use of virtual CT scan reconstruction to study the interactions between thyroid cartilage morphology and post-operative voice results.

Thesis results can be summarized as follows:

Most commonly used Voice Outcome Indicators (VOIs) to determine the effectiveness of surgical Unilateral Vocal Fold Palsy (UVFP) treatment are: Maximum Phonation Time and Voice Handicap Index. Mean Airflow is a VOI deserving further investigations. MTIS is a simple technique, offering permanent results with the possibility of treating posterior glottal gaps in most UVFP configurations. MTIS provides excellent results for male individuals. Female patients have a lower benefit after MTIS. The depth of the implant, as well as cartilage fenestration location, are factors influencing this gender discrepancy