AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze microvascular alterations that occur in the human vocal fold (VF), when damaged by cyst and contralateral nodule reaction. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical prospective. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Through laryngoscope of suspension the VFs were analyzed by rigid endoscopy in anterior, medium, posterior and subglotic regions. The microvascular alterations were classified in four major groups: parallel, transversal, branched and puntiform. Theses were subdivided into twelve types. RESULT: In VFs damaged by cyst, the microvascular alterations were more frequent (93,1%) rather than in contralateral VFs damaged by nodule reaction (6,9%). In the occurrence of cyst were also observed multiple microvascular alterations (10 subtypes), having prevalence of sinuous and ectasical microvessels, while in VFs damaged by contralateral nodule reaction these microvessels alterations were less varied (3 subtypes). When straight related to nodular lesion, those were exclusively puntiform. CONCLUSION: Our findings emphasize that the presence of cyst in the blade itself interferes in the arrangements of the microvessels of the VFs, while nodular reaction that compromises the epithelium, which is more superficial than the vessels, interferes in a minor degree in the vascular architecture. Therefore in the occurrence of altered microvessels diagnosis of the cyst in more likely rather than the nodule reaction.
vocal folds; microvascularization; rigid and contact endoscopy; cyst and nodular reaction
