Apollo treats man with hoarseness symptoms; shows improvement through speech therapy

Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Madurai, successfully treated a rare and complex case where a patient’s unusual symptom led to the early detection of a potentially fatal vascular condition.

Speaking to media persons on Monday, the doctors led by pulmonologist M. Palaniappan said that a 50-year-old man from Pudukottai presented with persistent hoarseness of voice and was initially misdiagnosed elsewhere as having a lung malignancy. He also underwent a bronchoscopy with biopsy, which turned out negative, and was advised to proceed with a CT-guided biopsy, but he declined and later came to Apollo for a second opinion.

The doctors said, “hoarseness of voice is often overlooked, but in this case it was the key that uncovered a serious thoracic aortic aneurysm. Accurate clinical judgment and timely imaging made all the difference. Early diagnosis saved this patient from a life-threatening event. A diagnosis was made using a contrast CT, which revealed an aortic aneurysm compressing the recurrent laryngeal nerve—the nerve responsible for voice. Hence, the patient was immediately referred to the Vascular and Endovascular surgeon for further management of the aneurysm.”, Dr. Palaniappan said.

Vascular surgeon K.S.Venkata Prasanna said, “This management was a little tricky and had to be done with a hybrid revascularisation and stenting. The stent, when placed to cover the aneurysm, would also cover the blood vessel supplying the left arm (left subclavian artery). So we performed a path diversion (bypass) from the left carotid artery (the blood vessel supplying the left brain) to the left subclavian artery, and then the stent was placed across the aneurysm to cut off the flow into the aneurysm. A one-month follow-up CT confirmed complete aneurysm thrombosis with no endovascular leak, marking a successful outcome. The patient’s hoarseness of voice continues to improve with speech therapy.”

Chief Operating Officer Nikhil Tiwari said, “This case highlights our commitment to precision, teamwork, and adopting advanced technologies. The seamless coordination between departments ensured the patient received the right care at the right time.” Joint Director–Medical Services, K Praveen Rajan said “Interdisciplinary collaboration is at the heart of Apollo’s excellence”.