Endoscopic Management More Cost Effective than Tracheostomy for BVFP

How cost effective is tracheostomy versus endoscopic management in the treatment of bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP)?

Bottom line
Endoscopic management of BVFP appears to be more cost-effective than tracheostomy.

Background: Traditionally, surgical management with tracheostomy was the treatment of choice for BVFP, but advances in endoscopic laryngeal surgery over the past 30 years have enabled practitioners to avoid tracheostomy and its attendant morbidity. Though endoscopic BVFP management is a well-studied alternative to tracheostomy, its economic and quality-of-life benefits are not well understood.

Study design: Cost-effectiveness analysis through a review of literature; additional information from CDC life tables, Medicare and World Health Organization data, and consumer price index ratios from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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