| abstract |
The present invention provides hydrogels and compositions thereof for vocal cord repair or augmentation and other soft tissue repair or augmentation (eg bladder neck augmentation, skin filler, breast implant, intervertebral disc, muscle mass). The patient's voice can be restored by injecting the hydrogel or composition thereof into the surface lamina or the vocal epithelium to restore the vocal cord vocal mucosa. In particular, it has been found that hydrogels having a shear modulus of about 25 Pa are useful for restoring the flexibility of the vocal mucosa. The present invention further provides methods for preparing and using the hydrogels of the present invention. |