In a major medical development, an 88-year-old man from Andhra Pradesh underwent a rare voice surgery known as thyroplasty at a hospital in Guntur, marking what is believed to be the first documented case of the procedure performed on a patient of this age worldwide.
The surgery was conducted on February 17 by V. Phaniendra Kumar, a voice surgeon and founder of the Association of Phonosurgeons of India, at Vikas Hospital. The patient, Mr. Laxmanarao, was diagnosed with idiopathic unilateral vocal cord paralysis while staying in the United States of America (U.S.A.). He later chose to return to India for treatment.
Thyroplasty is a procedure used to reposition the vocal cords in cases of paralysis to restore speech. In this case, an innovative ‘Sandwich Technique’ was used under local anaesthesia, allowing the patient to speak during the operation and observe immediate improvements in voice quality, Dr. Phaniendra Kumar explained. On the occasion of World Voice on April 16 (Wednesday), it is a great honour to share the groundbreaking milestone in the field of voice surgery, he said.
Dr. Phaniendra Kumar further added that existing literature cited the oldest known thyroplasty patient as 84 years old, with no public records of the surgery being performed at the age of 88 or above. Pre and post-operative voice changes were documented through audio-video recordings.
Published – April 16, 2025 07:22 pm IST
