Vocal Cord Surgery Gives a Salesman His Voice Back
A semi-retired salesman, Gary Baum knows that his voice is part of his brand. Despite this, he struggled with hoarse, gravelly vocalization for three or four years before seeking help.
“Back then I couldn’t talk like I’m talking to you now,” he says. “My voice was raspy and getting worse. Finally, my son-in-law told me he was making me an appointment with his ENT, Dr. Yao.”
William Yao, MD, chief of rhinology, residency program director, and an associate professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, examined Baum and discovered a vocal cord polyp.
“He told me the bad news first: that it had to come out. The good news was that his colleague, Dr. Tritter, was in clinic that day and could see me if I waited about 20 minutes,” Baum recalls.
Andrew Tritter, MD, directs the department’s laryngology division, as well as the Texas Voice Performance Institute. A lifelong musician and singer, he completed fellowship training in laryngology at Columbia University and Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York City, where he had extensive training in voice, airway, and swallowing disorders.
Baum worried that the lesion might be malignant, but Dr. Tritter assured him that benign polyps are very common. They can be removed during an endoscopic office procedure, depending on their size and location, or in the OR.
“The goal is to preserve as much of the underlying structure of the vocal cord as possible because certain layers of the cord are important for keeping it vibrating smoothly, which preserves the voice,” Dr. Tritter says. “During surgery, we peel the polyp off superficially and then re-drape the tissue to ensure that it heals nicely.”
Because of the size and location of Baum’s polyp, Dr. Tritter took him to the OR. “He came out of surgery with no significant discomfort and was well on his way back to normal.”
Following doctor’s orders, Baum didn’t use his voice for five days after the surgery. “Not being able to talk was very tough for me, but I got through it. I never knew I had a polyp – remarkable how something in that area affects your voice. I did some research and discovered that a lot of people who rely on their voices for work have had vocal cord polyps.”
“Vocal cord polyps are indeed very common,” Dr. Tritter says. “People who use their voices a lot – teachers, singers, actors, clergy, lawyers, and salespeople – tend to get them.”
“I was nervous about the anesthesia but when I left Dr. Tritter’s office after my follow-up appointment, I told him he could operate on any part of me if he wanted, and he laughed,” Baum says. “I have a lot of respect for these guys. The throat is a very small area to work in, and they know what they’re doing. If I ever have another ear, nose, or throat problem, I’ll go back to them.”