Vocal Cord Surgery
What is Vocal Cord Surgery?
Vocal cord surgery encompasses procedures to treat abnormalities of the vocal cords, such as nodules, polyps, cysts, or paralysis, which impair voice quality, often causing hoarseness or breathiness. It’s typically performed using minimally invasive techniques to preserve vocal function. In India, vocal cord surgery is conducted in ENT departments at hospitals like Apollo, Fortis, Medanta, and AIIMS, often at affordable costs. Understanding the procedure, costs, recovery, risks, and FAQs is essential for patients.
Why do you need Vocal Cord Surgery?
Vocal cord surgery is indicated for:
- Vocal cord lesions:
- Nodules: Callus-like growths from voice overuse (common in singers/teachers).
- Polyps: Fluid-filled growths, often from trauma or smoking.
- Cysts: Fluid sacs within the vocal cord.
- Vocal cord paralysis:
- One or both cords immobile, often due to nerve injury (e.g., thyroid surgery, trauma).
- Symptoms: Hoarseness, weak voice, or breathing difficulty.
- Other conditions:
- Reinke’s edema: Swelling from smoking or voice abuse.
- Laryngeal papillomas: Related to your earlier query on laryngeal papilloma removal (caused by HPV).
- Failed non-surgical treatments:
- Voice therapy or medications (e.g., steroids) ineffective after 3–6 months.
The procedure aims to remove lesions, restore vocal cord movement, or improve vibration to enhance voice quality and breathing while minimizing damage to delicate vocal cord tissue.
Why Do Vocal Cord Surgery Costs Vary in India?
Costs range from ₹40,000 to ₹1.2 lakh :
- Procedure Type: Simple microlaryngoscopy (₹40,000–₹70,000); laser or paralysis surgery (₹70,000–₹1.2 lakh).
- Hospital/Location: Higher in metro cities (Apollo, Fortis: ₹70,000–₹1.2 lakh); lower in government hospitals (AIIMS: ₹15,000–₹30,000, often subsidized under Ayushman Bharat).
- Surgeon’s Expertise: Experienced ENT surgeons charge more.
- Additional Costs: Anesthesia (₹5,000–₹15,000), hospital stay (₹5,000–₹10,000/day), voice therapy (₹5,000–₹15,000), medications (₹1,000–₹3,000).
- Insurance: Covered for functional issues (e.g., voice loss, breathing difficulty); confirm with your provider.
Vocal Cord Surgery Procedure
- Before Surgery Evaluation:
- Diagnosis:
- Laryngoscopy: Visualizes vocal cords (flexible or rigid scope).
- Videostroboscopy: Assesses vocal cord vibration and closure.
- Voice assessment: Evaluates pitch, volume, and quality.
- Blood tests: Blood sugar, clotting profile.
- Voice therapy: Often tried first to assess improvement.
- Consent: Risks, including voice changes, are explained.
- Diagnosis:
- Surgical Techniques:
- Vocal Cord Surgery (Microlaryngoscopy):
- Performed under general anesthesia, lasting 30–60 minutes.
- Microlaryngoscopy: A rigid laryngoscope inserted through the mouth to access the vocal cords.
- Lesion removal:
- Microflap technique: Tiny incisions made to lift and remove nodules, polyps, or cysts with microinstruments.
- CO2 laser: Used for precise removal (e.g., papillomas, Reinke’s edema) with minimal bleeding.
- Vocal cord paralysis (if applicable):
- Medialization: Injection of filler (e.g., hyaluronic acid) or implant (e.g., Gore-Tex) to push paralyzed cord closer to the midline.
- Thyroplasty: External approach to adjust cord position (less common).
- Bleeding controlled with hemostatic agents; no stitches typically required.
- Intraoperative Tools:
- Laryngoscope: Provides access to vocal cords.
- Microinstruments/CO2 laser: Removes lesions.
- Operating microscope: Enhances precision.
- Vocal Cord Surgery (Microlaryngoscopy):
- After Surgery:
- Hospital stay: Same-day discharge or 1 day.
- Care: Voice rest (no speaking) for 7–14 days; humidified air to soothe throat.
- Pain management: Mild to moderate throat pain for 3–5 days; managed with acetaminophen.
- Instructions: Avoid irritants (e.g., smoking, shouting); soft diet for 2–3 days.
Recovery After Vocal Cord Surgery
- Hospital Stay: Same-day discharge or 1 day.
- Post-Surgery Care:
- Pain: Mild to moderate throat soreness for 3–5 days; managed with medication.
- Voice: Hoarseness initially; improves in 2–4 weeks with voice rest; optimal voice in 6–12 weeks.
- Breathing: Improves immediately if paralysis addressed; otherwise, unaffected.
- Diet: Soft, cool foods (e.g., yogurt) for 2–3 days; avoid hot/spicy foods for 1 week.
- Activity: Rest for 1–2 days; avoid shouting or heavy activity for 2–3 weeks.
- Follow-Up:
- Visits at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months.
- Videostroboscopy: At 1 month to check vocal cord healing.
- Voice therapy: Starts after voice rest (2–4 weeks) to retrain vocal habits.
Most resume normal activities in 3–5 days; full recovery takes 4–6 weeks. Success rate: 85–90% achieve improved voice quality; paralysis surgery improves voice/breathing in 80–85%.
Risks and Complications
- Surgical Risks:
- Bleeding (1–2%): Minor intraoral bleeding; severe bleeding rare.
- Infection (1–2%): Throat or larynx infection; treated with antibiotics.
- Anesthesia risks (<1%): Reaction to general anesthesia; rare in healthy patients.
- Post-Surgery:
- Voice changes (2–5%): Scarring or stiffness of vocal cords; may need voice therapy or revision surgery.
- Airway swelling (1–2%): Temporary breathing difficulty; managed with steroids.
- Recurrence (5–10%): Lesions (e.g., nodules) may return if voice misuse persists.
- Granuloma (1–2%): Scar tissue at surgical site; may need removal.
- Long-Term:
- Vocal cord scarring (1–3%): Affects voice quality; may need further surgery.
- Weak voice (1–2%): If too much tissue removed; managed with therapy.
Report breathing difficulty, severe pain, fever, or persistent hoarseness promptly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What causes vocal cord issues?
Voice overuse (nodules), trauma (polyps), smoking (edema), HPV (papillomas), or nerve injury (paralysis).
Can I avoid vocal cord surgery?
Yes, if mild: Voice therapy, rest, or steroids; surgery is for persistent lesions or paralysis.
Is vocal cord surgery painful?
Mild to moderate throat pain for 3–5 days, managed with medication; improves in 1 week.
How soon can I resume activities?
Normal activities: 3–5 days; speaking: 7–14 days (after voice rest); full recovery: 4–6 weeks.
Is vocal cord surgery covered by insurance in India?
Yes, for functional issues; confirm with your provider.
Signs of complications?
Breathing difficulty, severe pain, fever, or persistent hoarseness.
Will my voice return to normal after surgery?
85–90% achieve improved voice; full recovery depends on lesion type and voice therapy adherence.
Lifestyle changes post-surgery?
Voice rest for 7–14 days, avoid irritants (e.g., smoking), humidify air, and follow voice therapy.
Conclusion
Vocal cord surgery is an effective procedure to restore voice function and address vocal cord abnormalities, with a high success rate and minimal recovery time. India’s top hospitals (Apollo, Fortis, AIIMS) provide affordable care, often covered by insurance. Understanding the procedure, costs, recovery, risks, and FAQs helps patients approach surgery confidently. Consult an ENT surgeon for personalized guidance.
Looking for Best Hospitals for Vocal Cord Surgery
Note: we are not promoting any hospitals
we are not promoting any hospitals we sourced all the details from google and hospitals website, please verify and start with your surgery here we go the list includes government, budget and superspeciality hospitals accreditation bodies are the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) and the Joint Commission International (JCI)
- click on your city and schedule your surgery now done in good hands.
| City | Minimum Price (₹) | Maximum Price (₹) |
|---|---|---|
Agra |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Ahmedabad |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Ajmer |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Aligarh |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Allahabad |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Amritsar |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Aurangabad |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Bangalore |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Bareilly |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Belgaum |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Bhopal |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Bhubaneswar |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Bikaner |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Chandigarh |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Chennai |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Coimbatore |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Dehradun |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Delhi |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Dhanbad |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Durgapur |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Faridabad |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Ghaziabad |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Gorakhpur |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Guntur |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Gurgaon |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Guwahati |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Gwalior |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Hyderabad |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Indore |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Jabalpur |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Jaipur |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Jalandhar |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Jamshedpur |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Jodhpur |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
kanpur |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Kochi |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Kolkata |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Kollam |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Lucknow |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Ludhiana |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Madurai |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Mangalore |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Meerut |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Moradabad |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Mumbai |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Mysore |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Nagpur |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Nashik |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Navi Mumbai |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Noida |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Patna |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Pune |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Raipur |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Rajkot |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Ranchi |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Surat |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Thane |
60,000 |
2,50,000 |
Vadodara |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Varanasi |
40,000 |
1,50,000 |
Visakhapatnam |
50,000 |
2,00,000 |
Disclaimer
This information is sourced from open platforms and is for general awareness only. Costs may vary based on individual cases. Please consult a qualified doctor for medical advice and explore options within your budget before deciding on the procedure.