How are vocal cord polyps treated?

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Vocal cord polyps can occur at any age, but are more common in adults. Without definitive treatment, the disease will affect the voice and cause hoarseness for a long time. Laryngeal polypectomy is a common and effective treatment indication.

1. Overview of vocal cord polyps

1.1. Concept The larynx, also known as the larynx, is located between the base of the tongue and the windpipe. The muscles of the vocal cords stretch and stretch to let air through, as well as vibrate to make loud/high or low/low sounds when people talk.
Vocal cord polyps are small granules or green pea-sized tumors, smooth, succulent, and pinkish-white in color. The polyp is located in the middle third of the vocal cords and on the superior surface of the medial lumen of the larynx.
1.2. Causes Common causes of polyps in the vocal cords include:
Edema of the larynx when infected, abuse of the voice for occupational reasons,...; Hyperplasia of the epithelial, connective or mucosal tissues of the larynx; Rupture of the vocal cords with excessive tension, causing bleeding when affected by mechanical stimulation (talking much, continuously, for a long time...); Long-lasting chronic laryngitis. 1.3. Symptoms The two main symptoms of laryngeal polyps are hoarseness and loss of breath. The degree of hoarseness depends on the size of the polyp, at first it occurs only in episodes, gradually appearing continuously if the patient does not pay attention to active treatment.
In addition to hoarseness, patients may experience shortness of breath, dry cough, but rarely, complete loss of voice and difficulty breathing due to polyps in the larynx.
1.4. Complications Laryngeal polyps, although not malignant, are life-threatening, but mainly affect the voice as well as the work of patients, especially teachers, singers, tour guides, radio broadcasters. staff, sales...
The disease cannot be cured by itself, so it is necessary to endoscopically diagnose the condition of the vocal cords as well as the size and location of polyps, thereby giving the right treatment.

2. Principles of treatment

2.1. No treatment if no symptoms When there are no symptoms, but the patient is accidentally discovered to have polyps in the vocal cords through ENT examination, no medical intervention is necessary. Patients only need to change their lifestyle such as:
Gargle mouth to keep hygiene; Brush your teeth 2-3 times a day (morning, evening and after eating); Start limiting talking. 2.2. Medical treatment when mild symptoms appear If the patient has mild and intermittent hoarseness, the doctor will first prescribe medical treatment. Specific measures are as follows:
It is necessary to suspend or limit talking to the maximum to help improve hoarseness symptoms; Treatment by aerosol with anti-inflammatory, anti-edema drugs, combined with antibiotics according to the prescription of the examining doctor; Continue to monitor the disease at the Otolaryngology department periodically even if the symptoms are stable and hoarseness is gone. 2.3. Surgical intervention if medical therapy is not effective Surgical treatment of vocal cord polyps is performed only in cases where the medical methods do not have positive results.
There are many surgical methods of laryngeal polyps applied in different medical facilities and hospitals. After consulting with the doctor, the patient will be able to choose the type of polyp removal that best suits his or her condition.
2.4. Follow-up after surgery for laryngeal polyps After surgery for vocal cord polyps, patients are often given antibiotics by the doctor, combined with aerosol containing anti-inflammatory and anti-edematous drugs.

3. Laryngeal polyp surgery

3.1. Indirect laryngoscopy for polyp removal As mentioned above, there are many surgical methods of vocal cord polyps to remove polyps. One of them is the indirect laryngoscopy to remove polyps.
This technique is performed with Frankel pliers and only applies to polyps with small stalks. However, the indirect method of laryngeal polyp surgery is no longer widely used.
3.2. Laparoscopic microsurgery to remove polyps Laryngoscopy microsurgery is a method of using endoscopic equipment and specialized medical instruments to directly dissect and remove polyps appearing on the vocal cords. There is also a method of laryngoscopy to remove polyps under a surgical microscope or to remove polyps with a CO2 laser.
Endoscopic microsurgery of vocal cord polyps is applied to the following cases:
Large tumor size; The patient lost his voice, hoarseness for a long time; Having trouble eating leads to weight loss. This is a technique that is not only very effective, but also less invasive, so patients have less pain as well as early recovery.

4. Cost of laryngeal polyp removal

The cost of laryngeal polypectomy varies from hospital to hospital and depends on each specific case, such as:
Location, size and number of polyps; What tests should be done during the diagnostic examination; Cost of laparoscopic surgery; Follow-up of postoperative treatment. Therefore, if a patient wants to get detailed information about the cost of laryngeal polypectomy, they need to go directly to a medical facility for specific advice. Normally, the cost of laryngeal polyp removal at a private hospital is not too different from the price of medical examination and treatment services at public hospitals. Moreover, customers should learn about the payment regime of health insurance and non-life insurance according to regulations so that they can save maximum costs.
In short, laryngeal polyps can obstruct breathing, cause hoarseness, make the volume become smaller and smaller, and it is impossible to speak normally. This disease will seriously affect the work and life of patients, such as teachers, actors, singers, etc. laryngeal polypectomy. Therefore, it is necessary to remove polyps early by surgery for vocal cord polyps to avoid complications, the most dangerous of which is laryngeal cancer.
Vinmec International General Hospital applies many effective and advanced techniques for the treatment of vocal cord polyps in the world, under the implementation of a team of well-trained, experienced doctors and nurses. the support of modern machinery and equipment. In addition, patients treated for vocal cord polyps at Vinmec will enjoy dedicated medical care, always putting the interests and health of customers first.

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