Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata reconstructed the damaged larynx of a 40-year-old patient and restored his voice.

A team of doctors lead by ENT Head and Neck Surgeon Dr Shantanu Panja at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata successfully performed a challenging surgery on a patient who lost his laryngeal thyroid cartilage further causing major damage to his vocal cords. The patient met with an accident that took place near Panagarh in Bardhaman district of West Bengal and the doctor’s there told him that due to the damage in vocal cord he could never speak again.

Mr. Rajkumar Basuree, a 40-year-old resident of Domra, was on his way back from office on a motorbike when an electric wire hanging from a lamp post hit him. It cut through his skin and muscles further damaging his vocal cords. With lot of pain and difficulty, Mr. Rajkumar managed to inform his family who took him to a nearby private hospital at Durgapur. The doctor performed Tracheostomy (making a hole in the neck to facilitate breathing) and mentioned that may be unable to speak again. As no progressive treatment was possible there, the family decided to bring Mr. Rajkumar to Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata.

Dr Panja and his team conducted a five-hour long surgery which took place in two stages. In the first stage, a stent was inserted into patient’s larynx and the the vocal cords were repaired with titanium plate. The second stage was done two weeks later and involved removing the stent. His tracheostomy has been plugged now and Ryles Tube withdrawn. Post-surgery, patient got back 80% of normal lifestyle; the remaining mild abnormality is in his voice, due to accumulation of fluid. But patient’s wife, Mrs. Shreya Basuree says, he is audible.

Dr Panja said “Healing such a young patient was our challenge. Practically no treatment except tracheostomy was done, when he arrived at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata. He also had severe pneumonia. The infection had to be controlled before operating on him. The patient is now fully cured and undergoing physiotherapy regularly to get back rest of his voice.”

Mrs. Shreya said that, “Rajkumar has started going to office and this is his second life; this time, the doctors gave birth to him.”