"Mount Sinai Study Could Help Doctors Better Understand and Manage Diseases Affecting The Larynx"
In a first-of-its kind study, Mount Sinai researchers have used sensory mapping to discover that the posterior part of the larynx is the main area of the voice box to protect the airway from potentially dangerous swallowed or inhaled substances. This novel finding can potentially help doctors better understand and manage diseases affecting the larynx and lead to new, targeted treatments. The results of this study have been published in the June online edition of The Laryngoscope. "The human voice box ('larynx') is arguably one of the most life-sustaining organs in the body, yet there is still much we don't know about its basic functions. This study sheds light on a critical protective function of the larynx that we have not had definite proof of until now," explained author Catherine Sinclair, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Understanding this aspect of basic larynx physiology is essential to help us diagnose laryngeal disease, manage it appropriately, and create new therapies."
- Catherine Sinclair, MD, Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Division of Head and Neck Surgery, Mount Sinai West
- Sedat Ulkatan, MD, Director, Intraoperative Neurophysiology, Mount Sinai West
- Maria Tellez, MD, Neurophysiologist, Mount Sinai West