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In This Issue:
World Voice Day, celebrated on April 16, is observed across the globe by physician specialists, who treat the medical disorders that affect the voice. One such specialist is Seth Dailey, MD, of the BWH Division of Otolaryngology. Dailey treats many patients of all ages, who suffer from medical disorders that affect the voice.
One of his youngest patients, three-year-old Madison Rodriguez, has laryngeal papilloma—a recurrent viral disease in which benign tumors grow on both of her vocal cords. In February 2004, Dailey performed a state-of-the-art procedure with a new 585 mm Pulse Dye laser. This new laser targets individual blood cells, cutting off the papillomas’ supply of nutrients and causing them to die. It also has proven successful in pre-malignant lesions of the vocal cords.
“This laser presents a great option for treating laryngeal papilloma, especially for patients like Madison, whom commonly undergo as many as 40 procedure before they are of school age,” said Dailey, who explained that adults can be treated with this procedure using only topical anesthetic spray. “The laser is not thermally based, so there is virtually no scarring of the vocal chords. In addition, it allows for the treatment of both vocal cords with a single procedure, while preserving the native tissue.”
According to her mom, Madison recovered fully after only a few days. She is doing wonderfully today and can be heard easily in school.
“In celebration of World Voice Day, I’d like encourage everyone to take stock of their voice and take advantage of the exciting technologies available to improve laryngeal health,” added Dailey, who is one of six otolaryngologists at BWH.