- Laryngoscopy
- Laryngeal Surgery
- Supraglottoplasty
- Laser Airway Surgery
Different larynx or vocal cord disorders are treated differently. Some disorders are best treated with medication or speech therapy, while others are best treated with surgery. There are some benign vocal box lesions, such as cysts,papillomas, polyps or laryngomalacia that may not respond to traditional treatments and the option of surgery might be discussed. Laryngeal surgery is performed under general anesthesia, always utilizing specially trained, board certified, pediatric anesthesiologists. Some laryngeal surgeries can be done as a day surgery, but most will require your child to be admitted to the hospital to monitor his/her breathing. Common procedures of the larynx are outlined below.
Laryngoscopy
This is the initial step to any laryngeal surgery to first view the larynx. After your child is under anesthesia, the pediatric ENT surgeon will gently insert a small, metalscope into your child’s mouth and down the throat to view the voice box directly. This is a necessary step since the laryngoscope will bring the larynx into view. The surgeon will then work through this scope to perform any additional procedures.
Micro Laryngeal Surgery
ENT for Children employs micro laryngeal surgery to address problems in a child’s vocal cords or to correct a voice disorder. The technique is minimally invasive, precise surgery on the voice box or vocal cords. Since the larynx is quite small and surgery is very delicate, your pediatric ENT specialist uses special telescopic cameras or a microscope to magnify your child’s vocal folds. Highly specialized instruments are then used to perform the necessary surgery on the larynx or vocal cords.
Supraglottoplasty
ENT for Children might utilize a supraglottoplasty procedure for a child or infant who suffers from laryngomalacia (weakened, collapsed tissue of the voice box). The collapsed tissue occurs when the tissue above your child’s larynx falls into the airway and causes breathing problems. This is the most common cause of noisy breathing in babies. If conservative therapy fails to treat your child’s breathing or feeding, then surgery may be recommended. A supraglottoplasty is a type of micro-laryngeal surgery that is performed under general anesthesia. Your pediatric ENT will perform the procedure entirely through your child’s mouth and use surgical instruments to delicately trim away the obstructive tissue. The procedure aims to help your child breathe and/or feed more easily.
Laser Airway Surgery
ENT for Children might also recommend using a special airway laser as part of the laryngeal surgery. A laser has certain advantages that can help make laryngeal surgery more successful. It is extremely precise, can be carefully controlled and often does not cause bleeding. The laser beam is directed to the larynx with special equipment through the laryngoscope. Your ENT for Children surgeon will take all precautions possible to ensure that laser airway surgery is performed in a safe and careful manner.