Surgical Treatment for Voice Disorders

In some cases, surgery is the best option for treating a voice, swallowing, or airway-related condition. At NYU Langone’s Voice Center, our surgeons are experts at providing care that treats your underlying condition while also preserving your vocal quality.

Laser Surgery

Laser surgery is a common treatment for vocal cord cancer in its earliest stages. The laser enables microscopic precision that preserves as much normal tissue as possible, thus limiting the impact on the voice and swallowing after surgery. A one-time surgical operation can be offered as an alternative to six weeks of standard radiation therapy.

Phonomicrosurgery

Phonomicrosurgery uses microsurgical instruments and techniques to improve vocal function. The technique is used in the following procedures to address problems with the voice, breathing, or swallowing:

• biopsy of throat lesions
• injection laryngoplasty, sometimes called vocal fold augmentation, which is the injection of a substance into one or both of the vocal cords to bring them closer together in order to produce a stronger voice
• laryngeal reinnervation, which creates a new nerve supply for a paralyzed vocal cord
• laryngectomy, the surgical removal of the voice box, which is most often used to treat advanced laryngeal cancer
• laryngoplasty, a procedure designed to permanently change the shape of the voice box to improve the voice
• microlaryngoscopy, a surgical technique that uses a microscope and specialized microinstruments to perform extremely precise excisions and other interventions on the delicate structures of the vocal cords
• tracheostomy, which is the insertion of a tube into the trachea, or windpipe, to enable easier breathing

For more information about surgical care provided by the Voice Center, please call 646-754-1207 or email VoiceCenter@NYULangone.org.