How Much Tongue Can Be Removed Without Affecting Function?

Unfortunately, whether through trauma or cancer concerns, parts of the tongue may be removed. When a part of the tongue is removed, the principal concern patients have is whether speech and swallow will be affected. The answer to this question depends on 3 main factors. • What orientation is the tongue removed? • How much is removed? • Will nerve function be preserved? The nerve is what makes the tongue move (specifically cranial nerve 12  called the hypoglossal nerve) Regar…

2/20/2013 0

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Julie Andrews and Her "Botched Throat Surgery"

It has already been well-publicized that the former singing sensation Julie Andrews underwent some type of throat surgery in 1997 after which she never regained her phenomenal 4-octave voice thus relegating her to more conventional roles of being an actress without the singing. This "botched throat surgery" per Julie Andrews lead to a lawsuit that was ultimately settled . It is unknown precisely what type of (presumed) vocal cord pathology was present as well as what type of su…

12/13/2012 1

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Singer John Mayer Undergoes Vocal Cord Surgery

In September 2011, grammy-award winning singer  John Mayer announced the cancellation of a number of concerts as well as an album due to the development of a vocal cord granuloma of his voicebox. Read a blog article about this. Last week on Thurs, Oct 20, 2011, he underwent surgery to remove the granuloma and is now on strict voice rest for several weeks. Though removal sounds like a great idea, vocal cord granulomas are notoriously difficult to eliminate completely as they have a hi…

10/24/2011 0

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Steroid Injection to Eliminate Vocal Cord Nodules

Vocal cord nodules are most always due to excessive voice use leading to "callous" formation on the vocal cord lining, much like shoveling dirt will eventually lead to callous formation on the hands. Traditional standard of care management of vocal cord nodules is voice therapy and avoidance of any activities leading to voice abuse (screaming, yelling, etc). However, resolution of nodules with such behavior focused treatment takes months. However, although it takes a while f…

10/18/2011 0

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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 !

2/05/2011 0

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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…

2/01/2011 0

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