Computer-based Tools for Phonosurgery

Steven Bielamowicz, M.D., Professor, Department of Surgery
Rajat Mittal, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
The George Washington University


Vocal cord paralysis and paresis are debilitating conditions leading to difficulty with voice production. The alterations in voice production are usually severe enough to impede the individual's ability to work and to conduct normal social interactions. Medialization laryngoplasty is a surgical procedure designed to restore voice in patients with glottal insufficiency due to incomplete vocal fold adduction during voicing. The underlying objective of the procedure is to implant a uniquely configured structural support lateral to the paretic vocal fold through a window cut in the thyroid cartilage of the larynx. The implant provides vocal fold support by placing the vocal fold into a more medial position, i.e. medialization. We are currently working on a NIH sponsored R01 grant which is focused on developing computational tools that can assist with the planning of this surgical procedure. The near-term goal of the project is to develop novel tools and approaches that can eventually improve the clinical outcomes of the particular procedure. However, the long-term significance of the project is to solve fundamental scientific problems associated with the biomechanical modeling and simulation of voice production. Results from this research will be presented.

[Talk Slides]

Biography:

Rajat Mittal is Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the George Washington University and Director of the GW Center for Biomimetics and Bioinspired Engineering (COBRE). His research interests are in the fields of computational fluid dynamics, biomedical engineering, bioinspired engineering and flow control.