Breakthrough Treatment That Saves Vocal Cords

He has saved the voices of singers like Aerosmith, Cher, and Julie Andrews. He is known worldwide and is the director of the Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation at Massachusetts General Hospital. His name is Dr. Steven Zeitels. By using an advanced laser, Dr. Zeitels saves voices and lives by skillfully using radiation.

In a recent case, one of Israel's most popular comic actors, Sefi Rivlin, had developed a severe case of vocal cord cancer. By losing his voice, he would be losing his career and wouldn't be able to talk and sing with his family: the things that he most enjoyed in his life. While searching for help, Rivlin heard about a new radical procedure done by Dr. Zeitels to save vocal cords filled with cancer. Wanting so badly to keep his voice, Rivlin decided to try the procedure. In 2006 his throat was so full of cancer that his vocal cords could not be seen by doctors. But today, Rivlin is cancer free. "I see no evidence of cancer. The dysplasia is mostly resolved," Zeitels said. Some may wonder how the laser doesn't hurt the vocal cords themselves. Dr. Zeitels explains, "For vocal cords to vibrate, they need to be soft and pliable, very similar to a child's skin or an infant's skin. This laser is absorbed by hemoglobin and blood and only heats the tumor, which is why the pliability is basically preserved."

This is truly an amazing procedure that has saved lives and voices. To watch a news clip from ABC news on this story click here.

It is such a comfort to know that there is now technology that can help us save something that helps to make us who we are: our voices.