Laryngeal Surgery

Benign or malignant lesions can develop on the vocal cords.  Benign non-cancerous growths on the vocal cords are most often caused by voice misuse or overuse, which causes trauma to the vocal cords. These lesions (or “bumps”) on the vocal cord(s) alter vocal cord vibration and lead to hoarseness. The most common vocal cord lesions are nodules, polyps, and cysts.  Vocal nodules (also known as singer’s nodules) are similar to “calluses” of the vocal cords.  They occur on both vocal cords opposite each other at the point of maximal wear and tear, and are usually treated with voice therapy to eliminate the vocal trauma that is causing them.   Contrary to common myth, vocal nodules are highly treatable and intervention leads to improvement in most cases.  Vocal cord polyps cysts and granulomas are the other common benign lesions.  These are sometimes related to voice misuse or overuse, but can also occur in people who don’t use their voice improperly possibly due to laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) or after a severe viral illness.  These types of problems typically require microsurgical treatment for cure, with voice therapy employed in a combined treatment approach in some cases.

Dr. Alen Cohen and Dr. Jerome Vener at C/V ENT Surgical Group which serves the greater Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks areas, will often utilize various scopes and likely video stroboscopy to determine the cause of your voice disorder and then plan a proper treatment course. If this treatment involves surgery then they will schedule your for a microsuspension direct laryngoscopy which is an outpatient procedure performed at a surgery center.  In this short procedure a microscope and fine microsurgical instruments are utilized to treat your laryngeal problem.  Most patients are able to leave within one to two hours following the procedure.