Live webcast of a voicebox reconstruction procedure from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Archived version now available.

Originally broacast: Tuesday, July 30, 2002 at 5:00 PM EST

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The nation's first live internet broadcast of surgery to restore a patient's voice took place July 30 at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

The surgery was performed by James A. Koufman, M.D., director of the Center for Voice Disorders at WFUBMC. Koufman is one of the world's leading experts on voice rehabilitation surgery, or what Koufman calls "fixing broken voices." Gregory N. Postma, M.D., associate professor of otolaryngology and assistant director of the voice center, narrated the surgery. The webcast offered free continuing medical education credit as well as viewing by the lay public.

The surgery, a medialization laryngoplasty, is used to restore the voice in patients who have lost all or most of their voice due to vocal cord paralysis or paresis (partial paralysis), cancer, intubation or trauma.

The operation is done under local anesthesia with sedation. The patient remains awake "because vocal-fold repositioning alters the voice, and therefore the surgeon must hear the voice to get the best result," Koufman said. "These laryngoplasties can be likened to tuning piano strings; if you can't hear them, you can't do it right."

The webcast uses RealPlayer to display both video and synchronized slides in side-by-side windows. Viewers can download a free copy of the player from one of the links on this page. It is not necessary to purchase any of Real's premium players or subscription plans. The free basic player is all that is required to view the surgery.