Laser surgery offers hope for Hong Kong patients with hoarse voices, as specialist clinic urges those with symptoms to seek help
- Local clinic marked World Voice Day by telling patients of alternative to traditional surgery that scared sufferers
- Special needs teacher struggled for eight years before having laser surgery that made her voice ‘sound even better than before’
A public specialist clinic in Hong Kong has said patients with hoarse voices can benefit from laser surgery, with doctors there urging anyone suffering from symptoms for more than three weeks to seek medical help.
Teacher Ma King-chi, who suffered from issues with her voice for eight years, opted for the treatment in 2018 after initially hesitating to undergo the traditional procedure, which included an endoscope examination and using small scissors to remove her vocal cord polyp.
“The traditional way involves cutting. I felt scared about it and was worried about a relapse in the future,” Ma said at a media interview on Wednesday to mark World Voice Day, which will take place on Sunday.
“After the laser surgery and taking a rest for one to two weeks, my vocal cord has recovered totally and the problem hasn’t reoccurred … my voice sounds even better than before.”
Dr Iris Leung Oi-sum, who is also the associate consultant at the ear, nose and throat departments at three hospitals in East Kowloon, said Ma’s case was successful because laser surgery eased patients’ concerns and performed better than traditional endoscope surgery.
“We have noticed that some patients’ vocal cords have scars after the traditional surgery. These affect the vocal cord vibration and their voices are not as clear as before,” Leung said.
“Laser surgery can target the designated part. In case of relapse, they can redo the surgery and need not worry about leaving scars.”
