UST Hospital performs PH's first vocal implant surgery

Doctors from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Hospital have successfully performed the Philippines’ first vocal implant surgery, restoring speech for a patient with vocal cord paralysis.

According to an article in the Varsitarian, doctors implanted a medical-grade silicone and titanium voice system called the Vocal Implant System (VOIS) from company APrevent on a 60-year-old patient with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) last April 28.

The VOIS, inserted into the thyroid cartilage, will help the impaired vocal fold meet the functioning vocal fold to restore speech and ease swallowing.

With the successful transplant, the patient would be able to restore his impaired vocal folds that had been causing symptoms like vocal changes and difficulty in swallowing.

“If one of your vocal folds is not moving, it can be corrected with a voice implant. The purpose of the implant is to move the immobile vocal fold toward the middle so that it can meet the other moving vocal fold. This way, your voice improves—it won’t sound breathy or leak too much air,” said UST Hospital’s Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Dr. Milabelle Lingan.

“So the voice implant helps in two ways: it improves the voice and prevents food particles from entering the airway, thereby reducing the risk of pneumonia and other lung infections caused by food or saliva reaching the lungs,” she added. 

Lingan shared that the success of the procedure will help raise awareness for UVFP.

Lingan also worked with co-founder and chief executive officer of APrevent Dr. Guan-Min Ho, from Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taiwan, Dr. Kevin Mallari, and Dr. Janice Mangahas.

“What this first voice implantation means, not only because it’s first in the Philippines, is that we take pride in doing it for the first time in UST… Keeping ourselves aware of what is new, what is available, and bringing it to the Philippines is one thing that we can do para naman may matulungan pa tayo, (so we can keep helping,)” Lingan added. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/LDF, GMA Integrated News