Vanderbilt Health recently hosted Professor Jean-Paul Marie, MD, PhD, head of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiophonology at Rouen University Hospital in Rouen, France. Marie gave a presentation on selective laryngeal reinnervation, a procedure he pioneered, to fellow physicians at the second annual Robert H. Ossoff Lecture.
Following his talk, Marie was a guest in the operating room as Alexander Gelbard, MD, Professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, and Sarah Rohde, MD, MMHC, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, performed selective laryngeal reinnervation surgery, the seventh such procedure at Vanderbilt Health. Gelbard and Rohde traveled to France in 2021 to learn the surgical technique from Marie and have begun offering it to patients at Vanderbilt Health.
Makalii Andrade of Kauai, Hawaii, traveled to Nashville to undergo the surgery, seeking to rehabilitate his vocal cords after they were severely injured and paralyzed in a 2022 surfing accident.
“It’s important to know that this is an option for some patients with bilateral vocal cord paralysis,” said Rohde. “This surgery seeks to rewire and maintain normal anatomy to help patients function. … We were successful today, and we’re really excited for Makalii to heal and have a great outcome.”
Following the procedure, Rohde said that despite the scarring Andrade had from his injury, the surgeons found all the necessary structures to rewire the nerves that help his breathing and speech.
“The breathing is better already, and the voice should come back,” Andrade said. “It’s been a whirlwind … but it’s worth the trip.”
