Type of Surgery
Information

Last updated: 11/24/2009
Because of its location, the voice box, or larynx, plays a critical role in breathing, swallowing, and speaking. The larynx is located above the windpipe (trachea) and in front of the food pipe (esophagus). It contains two small bands of muscle called...
the vocal cords that close to prevent food from entering the lungs and vibrate to produce the voice. If cancer of the larynx develops, a laryngectomy is performed to remove tumors or cancerous tissue. In rare cases, the procedure may also be performed when the larynx is badly damaged by gunshot, automobile injuries, or other traumatic accidents.
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The lungs are comprised of thousands of alveoli or air sacs. These structures are only one or two cells thick at places but they are able to separate blood and inhaled air. Oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged across this thin membrane, as the narrated animation explains.
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Other Information
Laryngectomy is the removal of the larynx and separation of the airway from the mouth, nose, and esophagus. The laryngectomee breathes through an opening in the neck, a stoma. It is done in cases of laryngeal cancer. However, many laryngeal cancer cases are now treated only with radiation and chemotherapy or other laser procedures, and laryngectomy is performed when those treatments fail to conserve the larynx.
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ENT surgeons diagnose and treat conditions of the ears, nose, throat, head and neck, and undertake some cosmetic procedures.
-Dr David Luff
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