A 50-year-old Myanmar patient regains her voice after successfully getting operated at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi.

A 50-year-old woman, Ms. Oak Moon who came to India as a matching kidney donor from Myanmar (for her relative), got a new ray of hope as she got treated for her previously caused surgical complication in her country. The lady had lost her ability to speak due to bilateral vocal cord palsy after thyroid surgery at Myanmar. She had an artificially inserted tube in her neck called tracheostomy due to which she had discomfort in breathing naturally and inability to speak.

In Myanmar, she was told that because of this surgical complication, she could never regain her speech. Few years later, she came to India with a noble intention of donating her kidney to a relative in need. Here at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, while she was being prepared for the transplant procedure, the experts also advised her to undergo surgical intervention so that her neck tube can be removed.

Under the supervision of Dr Sandeep Guleria, Senior Consultant Surgeon in General Surgery, GI Surgery and Transplantation, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi and Dr Noor Ul Din Malik, Consultant ENT, Head and Neck Robotic Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, Ms. Oak Moon underwent both the surgeries in single stage with an uneventful recovery.

Speaking on the same Dr Sandeep Guleria, Senior Consultant Surgeon in General Surgery, GI Surgery and Transplantation, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi said, “The patient, Ms. Oak Moon, came to India with a noble intention of donating her kidney to one of her relatives. Due to the surgical complication in her thyroid surgery in Myanmar, she developed an inability to speak. On preparing her for the transplant, we found that she suffered a discomfort in breathing due to the tracheostomy tube in her neck. Based upon her then condition, we advised her to undergo a laser cordectomy along with the donor nephrectomy (surgery for kidney donation).

Laser cordectomy was planned to remove her tracheostomy tube from her neck (Decannulation) and treat her artificial breathing. For further guidance to the patient and performance of laser cordectomy we roped in Dr Noor Ul Din Malik for his expert advice.”

Adding further to it, Dr Noor Ul Din Malik, Consultant ENT, Head and Neck Robotic Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi said, “An otherwise healthy lady, Ms. Oak Moon had undergone a complicated thyroid surgery few years ago in Myanmar where she was tracheostomised with a tube in her neck. With this tube she was unable to speak and breathe naturally. Her breathing was also regulated through an artificial breathing passage.

When we examined her at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, we decided that while she would be undergoing the kidney nephrectomy, we shall also perform a laser cordectomy for the purpose of removing the tube from her neck. As, removing the same could get her voice and natural breathing back.”

On patient’s recovery Dr Sandeep Guleria, Senior Consultant Surgeon in General Surgery, GI Surgery and Transplantation, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi and Dr Noor Ul Din Malik, Consultant ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi said, “As we planned, the patient underwent both the procedures together and was decannulated after 3 weeks of the laser cordectomy procedure. Ms. Oak Moon has been doing great since then, having an uneventful recovery she has been able to talk and breathe naturally. We are happy that we could give a patient the reason to smile and fly back to her home without any pain. “