Fine needle aspiration of the vocal fold lamina propria in an animal model.

OBJECTIVES

The development of a minimally invasive fine needle aspiration (FNA) technique for vocal fold (VF) biopsy would have far-reaching implications and applicability in laryngology. The objective of this study was to determine whether FNA of the VF lamina propria is feasible and whether it causes injury to the VF.

METHODS

Unilateral VF FNA was performed with a 26-gauge needle on 20 rabbits. The FNA cell collection of the lamina propria was confirmed by cytology. Four weeks after the FNA, the rabbits were painlessly sacrificed and the larynges were harvested. Histologic analysis of the VF lamina propria included Masson's trichrome and elastin-van Gieson stains. The linear viscoelastic shear properties, elastic modulus, and viscous modulus of the tissue were measured.

RESULTS

Compared to the contralateral normal VFs, those VFs that underwent FNA demonstrated no significant differences in levels of collagen (p = .17) and elastin (p = .94). Rheologically, the elastic shear modulus and viscous modulus did not significantly differ between the normal and FNA VFs (p = .9380 and p = .9359, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Fine needle aspiration of the VF lamina propria is feasible without injury and offers a potentially promising, less invasive alternative to be developed for future diagnostic and therapeutic management of VF lesions.