Dr. Mark Courey - "Artificial 'Voice Box' Implant Helps Cancer Patient Speak"
An artificial "voice box" has provided long-term relief for a throat cancer patient in France. Removal of the larynx is common in treatment of laryngeal cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The artificial larynx consists of a rigid titanium/silicone structure that replaces the larynx in the throat, as well as a removable titanium cap that replicates the function of the epiglottis. "This is a very new thing," said Mark S. Courey, MD, director of the Eugen Grabscheid Voice Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital. "People have talked about being able to put something in that could perform this function, but I don't know anyone has done it until these investigators.” However, there are some concerns about the long-term effectiveness of the device.