Silastic medialization laryngoplasty

Silicone elastomer, commonly referred to as "Silastic," is a polymerized form of silicone gel. Silastic is inert material which is well tolerated when implanted into the human body. A long track record of Silastic use exists (mostly in the orthopedic literature), and approximately 25 years of experience have accumulated for its use in the larynx [1]. Silastic can be used successfully as a long-term material for glottic insufficiency in both immobile and mobile vocal folds. Type-I allergic reactions and granuloma formation/long-term complications are almost non-existent [2]. This chapter describes medialization laryn-goplasty using the surgical technique described by Netterville et al. [3] and Wanamaker et al. [4] which utilizes a hand-carved medium-grade Silastic block.