Sulcus vocalis is a structural lesion of one or both vocal folds with an unusual furrow alongside the vocal fold. Other structural changes like vergeture, mucosal bridge, epidermoid cyst, ectatic perpendicular indicator capillary vessels or intrachordal scarring may also be present. When two or more aberrations are present, we call this a ‚dysmorphia complex’ of the vocal fold.
All aforementioned lesions might lead to hoarseness with a strained voice quality. High resolution endoscopic imaging and stroboscopic vibration examination must be performed before offering an individual therapy. The individual patient’s symptoms and the degree of everyday voice limitation determine the therapeutic decision making. This can span from voice therapy up to phonomicrosurgical excision, laser surgery, and augmentation. Surgery in patients with sulcus vocalis and dysmorphia of vocal folds is mostly very challenging and should be performed by well trained phonosurgeons.
