For a new voice,patients call PGI

“Voice disorders were ones often unrecognised,ignored and considered incurable to some extent. However,the success rate of our surgeries is 100 per cent,” says Ashok Gupta,professor,Department of Otolaryngology,Head and Neck Surgery,PGI.

So whether it is to escape from constant ridicule or it is to improve the quality of voice,these “patients” prefer to undergo the surgery and get a new voice into their life.

“A male adolescent with a female voice and vice-versa are subjected to humiliation and debasement in society. Different thyroplasty techniques have provided a new life for such patients. A safe and day care surgery with immediate results have helped a lot in bringing them up in society,” he says.

He says that the field of ‘phonosurgery’ has advanced in the past decade. With the introduction of different types of thyroplasty techniques in the late seventies,phonosurgery has taken a giant leap.

“Today,the advancements in phonosurgery have made it possible to even make minute changes in the pitch and frequency of the voice of a patient,” says Gupta.

Thyroplasty is a surgical technique used to change the position of the cords thereby changing the pitch and frequency of sound. This surgery is the mainstay in vocal cord paralysis patients.

Microlaryngeal surgeries,conventional larygoplasties,injection laryngoplasties,laser and microdebrider assisted laryngeal surgeries has added to the abilities of the phonosurgeon.

According to the National Sample Survey Organisation (2002) about 19.66 lakh people in India are afflicted with some form of isolated speech disorder. This is apart from the 44.82 lakh who fall under the hearing and speech disorder category.