Vocal Cords News and Research

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The vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the larynx. They vibrate, modulating the flow of air being expelled from the lungs during phonation.

Study investigates risk of dysphagia after radiotherapy treatment for head & neck cancer

At the 3rd International Conference on innovative approaches in Head and Neck Oncology (ICHNO), Dr Hanna Rahbek Mortensen and colleagues at hospitals and institutes in Denmark presented results from a large prospective trial, the DAHANCA 6 & 7 study. The study, conducted across the country, investigated risk factors for developing dysphagia (swallowing dysfunction), after undergoing radiotherapy treatment for a head & neck cancer.

25 Feb 2011

Researchers receive NIH grant to develop computer models for pediatric airway problems

A multidisciplinary team of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers has been awarded a $3.6 million grant to develop computer models that will allow physicians to predict which treatments will work best in children with upper airway problems.

4 Feb 2011

Light therapy can help preserve vocal cord function for patients with early stage laryngeal cancer: Study

Light, or photodynamic, therapy can help preserve the voice and vocal cord function for patients with early stage laryngeal (voice box) cancer, according to a study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

29 Jan 2011

Successful larynx transplant for Californian woman

In a breakthrough, a surgical team in California on Thursday announced that they had successfully replaced the larynx of a 52-year-old woman who hadn’t been able to speak or breathe on her own for more than a decade.

20 Jan 2011

Study on flavors of laughter

Most scientific research on laughter is based on recordings of people pretending to laugh. But for Michael Owren of Georgia State University in Atlanta, this false laughter -- the sound of a canned sit-com laugh track -- is a pale imitation of the real thing. He studies the full vocabulary of chortles, giggles, guffaws we all use in everyday situations.

12 Nov 2010

UT Southwestern head and neck cancer surgeons perform area's first transoral robotic surgery

Head and neck cancer surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center performed the area's first transoral robotic surgery (TORS), a recently approved minimally invasive no-scar procedure to remove tumors in the throat.

16 Jun 2010

Low frequency ultrasound can heal and regenerate body tissues

When we think of ultrasound, it's usually imaging the inside of the body that springs to mind. However, while ultrasound imaging typically requires frequencies that are 50 to 2500 times higher than those human ear can detect, recent increasing evidence indicates that ultrasound at lower frequency can also be used to help certain body tissues to heal and regenerate. Now research that appears in Open Access Journal of Tissue Engineering published by SAGE-Hindawi suggests that ultrasound could also help tissue grafts to survive and thrive following surgery.

28 May 2010

Johns Hopkins doctor says sports events and cell phones can harm voice

From the first tip-off during March Madness to the championship’s final buzzer, and with start of the 2010 Major League Baseball season, on Sunday, April 4, thousands of people will relentlessly scream and shout, placing tremendous strain on their voices. While no one is recommending complete silence, the constant pressure on the vocal cords can cause great damage.

25 Mar 2010

IMRT and extensive safety measures can prevent radiation injuries in cancer patients, says oncology expert

Recent media stories have reported isolated cases of cancer patients who were injured by incorrect doses from intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

2 Feb 2010

Study to understand acoustic communication across animal species

Scientists who compare insect chirps with ape calls may look like they are mixing aphids and orangutans, but researchers have found common denominators in the calls of hundreds of species of insects, birds, fish, frogs, lizards and mammals that can be predicted with simple mathematical models.

6 Jan 2010

UC researchers receive $2.5 million grant to study treatment for voice disorders

For patients with severe voice disorders, the loss of their voice often means losing their social life, self esteem or livelihood. While existing therapies can treat mild to moderate voice disorders, physicians have a harder time determining effective treatments for those with severe cases.

30 Dec 2009

Energid Technologies to develop robotic device for endotracheal intubation

The US Army, through the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), has awarded Energid Technologies a contract to develop a robotic approach to airway management.

11 Dec 2009

New evidence of a deep biological link between human music and speech

A pair of studies by Duke University neuroscientists shows powerful new evidence of a deep biological link between human music and speech.

4 Dec 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center to offer NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System implantation

Physicians at UT Southwestern Medical Center soon will begin implanting a new device designed to improve breathing in patients with upper spinal-cord injuries or other diseases that keep them from breathing independently.

26 Nov 2009

Physicians say thyroid surgery safe for older people

Thyroid surgery is safe for older patients, say physicians who found only slight differences in rates of complications and hospital readmissions in a multi-year study.

20 Oct 2009

New tool developed to easily place assisted breathing devices under difficult circumstances

A new tool developed by a Medical College of Georgia resident and faculty member may make it easier to place assisted breathing devices under difficult circumstances.

19 Oct 2009

AAO-HNSF to issue the first guideline for helping physicians manage dysphonia

The American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) will issue the first--and only--national clinical practice guideline to help healthcare practitioners identify and manage patients with hoarseness, also known as dysphonia. The guideline emphasizes evidence-based management of hoarseness by clinicians, and educates patients on the prevalence of this common vocal health issue.

1 Sep 2009

Discovery of mutation in AIP gene associated with acromegaly

An indigenous family living in a mountainous area of Malaysian Borneo helped Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) researchers to discover information about genetic mutations associated with acromegaly, a form of gigantism that often results in enlarged hands, feet, and facial features.

24 Aug 2009

New voice care center

UT Southwestern Medical Center has gathered a team of specially trained physicians and therapists to launch a new center for voice care dedicated to disorders of the voice and larynx.

24 Nov 2008

Laser "microscalpel" to target individual cancer cells

Mechanical engineering Assistant Professor Adela Ben-Yakar at The University of Texas at Austin has developed a laser "microscalpel" that destroys a single cell while leaving nearby cells intact, which could improve the precision of surgeries for cancer, epilepsy and other diseases.

24 Jun 2008