Regenerative Techniques for the Larynx

Guest: David G. Lott, M.D.

Host: Amit K. Ghosh, M.D. (@AmitGhosh006)

About 60,000 Americans have had their vocal cords removed due to disease or trauma necessitating a laryngectomy. Post-laryngectomy, patients are unable to speak, are at risk for aspiration, and many suffer from significant anguish resulting in depression. Fortunately, there are several treatment options available, the first being laryngeal transplant. While laryngeal transplantation allows patients to smell, taste, swallow, and communicate, it has drawbacks. Currently only a small number of larynx transplants are done in the U.S., and only a select few patients with laryngectomy qualify for larynx transplant. In this episode, Dr. David Lott, division chair of laryngology at Mayo Clinic’s Arizona campus, discusses the role of regenerative medicine, which has shown promise in using 3D printing and a patient’s stem cells in creating a larynx.

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