Chronic inflammation of the vocal cords
March 8, 2011 | 10,00 EUR | answered by Uni-Arzt Freddy Feuerstein
Good evening, at the beginning of the year I had a severe bronchitis that took weeks to heal. I became hoarse and the hoarseness lasted for about 6 weeks, even though the bronchitis had already healed. My general practitioner referred me to an ENT specialist. During a laryngoscopy, it was found that my vocal cords are chronically inflamed, with one vocal cord being pink and the other one red. There was a tumor on the inside of one of the vocal cords, which the doctor explained was preventing the vocal cords from closing properly and causing the hoarseness. I was advised to have immediate surgery to remove the tumor and smooth out the vocal cord.
Due to personal reasons, I was not able to have the surgery immediately. My hoarseness disappeared and my speech returned to normal. After 2 weeks, I went for a follow-up examination, and there was no mention of the tumor anymore. Both vocal cords were pink, with one vocal cord showing a keratosis.
Despite this, I was still advised to undergo the surgery. Is it necessary? I am 56 years old, female, and do not want to undergo unnecessary general anesthesia. Can keratosis develop into something medically dangerous, such as cancer? I believe that surgery may not resolve the chronic inflammation. Are there alternative ways to remove the keratosis? I have not been hoarse for almost 4 weeks now and have no pain. What do you advise me to do?
Dear advice seeker,
first of all, it is nice to hear that the inflammation has receded. It seems that it was a case of vocal cord nodules, also known as singer's nodes, which are caused by overuse, such as singing or likely in your case, chronic bronchitis.
The symptoms usually regress, normal voice returns, leaving behind some thickening. As long as it does not affect your speech and you feel that your voice is back to normal, there is no urgent need for surgery.
If it were a vocal cord polyp, it is a benign growth that should be removed permanently through microlaryngoscopy, surgically.
If it were a malignant growth, your ENT doctor would have recognized it and recommended a biopsy. Since this was not done, it is unlikely but not completely ruled out.
As an anesthesiologist, I can tell you that the risk of general anesthesia nowadays is very low, statistically using a car is 500% more dangerous than undergoing anesthesia. Of course, general health condition and pre-existing conditions play a role here, but since you did not mention any, at 56, you are still a young patient and I would not worry about anesthesia.
I would recommend reviewing the diagnosis with the ENT doctor and possibly discussing it with a doctor at a major hospital, such as a university hospital.
It is likely nothing serious, but if you want to be sure, you may consider further investigation.
I wish you all the best, and if you have any further questions, feel free to ask.
Kind regards,
T.C. Müller
