New Webpage on Bilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis (or Fixation)

We have written up a new webpage discussing the unfortunate situation of bilateral vocal cord paralysis whereby both breathing and vocal quality is adversely affected.

Treatment for bilateral vocal cord paralysis is difficult and there is no perfect solution. Treatment to improve breathing usually makes the voice worse. Treatment to improve the voice usually makes the breathing worse. The best (but not perfect) treatment tries to pick a happy medium to address the breathing while trying not to hurt the voice too much, though some degradation in vocal quality is to be expected. Such treatment includes posterior cordotomy +/- medial arytenoidectomy.

In another situation, the patient may have bilateral vocal cord fixation resulting in the appearance of vocal cord paralysis, but is potentially "curable" with normal breathing and normal voice being the goal.

Click here to read more! Video and audio also included.

To read more about UNILATERAL vocal cord paralysis, click here. Treatment is completely different than for bilateral vocal cord paralysis.

New Video on Uvula Excision for Snoring (and Other Problems)

Our office has created a new video on how a uvulectomy (or uvula excision) is performed to treat not only snoring, but chronic cough, throat-clearing, and even gagging due to an extremely long uvula.

Though the procedure can be performed awake without sedation in adult patients without a severe gag reflex, for those with a bad gag reflex, it must be performed under general anesthesia as shown in this video.

For more info on this procedure, click here.

Check it out here!

New Video on UPPP Surgery to Treat Sleep Apnea (Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty)

A new video has been created and uploaded onto our YouTube channel showing how a UPPP (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) sleep apnea surgery is performed. This surgery is commonly performed to try and improve or even cure obstructive sleep apnea in adults. This surgery rarely is performed in kids.

Read more about UPPP here. More info about obstructive sleep apnea can be found here.

Another operation used to treat obstructive sleep apnea in adults along with UPPP is base of tongue reduction. Read about this operation here as well as watch the video here.

Watch the video here.