Evolution of Phonosurgery with its Inception and Progress in India
Successful phonosurgical treatment commenced with the injection of substances into the paraglottic space in cases of paralytic dysphonia. Burning introduced injection technique for unilateral vocal fold paralysis in 1911 using intracordal paraffin by means of a novel injecting device that he designed. It was not until the 1950s to 1960s, however, when Arnold championed injection medialization that it become the mainstay of phonosurgical treatment for paralytic dysphonia. Medialization of the vocal fold edge by means of neural reinnervation (phrenic or descending hypoglossal to recurrent laryngeal nerve) was introduced by Balance in 1924 and advanced in recent years by Tucker and Crumley. Although this approach has not become mainstream, it has significant promise for the future.