Finding Her Voice: An Outpatient Procedure Restored Patsy’s Voice After Vocal Cord Paralysis
Imagine opening your mouth to speak and your voice can’t get louder than a whisper. You can’t talk on the phone. It’s difficult to order food in a restaurant or even carry on a simple conversation. In an emergency, you can’t cry out for help. This is the world Patsy Blackburn lived in for seven years. After undergoing a left thoracotomy and excision of a small lung cancer in 1999, Patsy had experienced intermittent hoarseness and suffered with the progression of vocal cord weakness. While…
Breaking The Silence Of Vocal Cord Paralysis
Adult onset vocal cord (or fold) paralysis is due to abnormal nerve input to the laryngeal muscles. The associated nerves are the superior laryngeal nerve and the recurrent laryngeal nerve. The superior laryngeal nerve carries signals to the cricothyroid muscle. The recurrent laryngeal nerve carries signals to different voice box muscles responsible for breathing, coughing, swallowing and vibration during voice use. This nerve is involved in the majority of cases of vocal cord paralysis. Symptoms Adults suffering from vocal cord paralysis use a lot of…
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