Laryngofissure Approach in Surgical Treatment of Bilateral Abductor Paralysis

THERE have been many approaches to the surgical treatment of bilateral abductor paralysis. King,¹Kelly,²Orton,³Woodman,⁴and Thornell⁵have their own procedures which are satisfactory in their hands. All their procedures have the same objectives: (1) to reestablish an adequate airway and (2) to obtain and maintain the maximum speaking voice, without sacrificing the airway. The attainment of these objectives, each to its maximum degree of efficiency, has not been achieved with any real ease or calculation. It is the purpose of this paper to suggest a new simple laryngofissure procedure for the surgical treatment of bilateral abductor paralysis. The technical difficulties entailed in either the Kelly or the King operation cannot be overlooked. They are very tedious procedures, and the visual exposures obtained tend to make the surgery still more difficult. In each procedure a visual estimate is made of the size of