Laryngeal Papillomatosis
Caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), laryngeal papillomatosis (also referred to as recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, or RRP) is a warty growth located on the larynx. Left untreated, the papilloma will continue to grow, and can impact your voice quality or even potentially block your airway.
While there currently is no cure for laryngeal papillomatosis, it can be kept in check with surgery and new therapies. Like warts, regrowth is very common, but may permanently disappear after a few surgeries. But because surgery isn’t always permanent and doesn’t cure laryngeal papillomatosis, it’s important to think about all the different ramifications frequent surgery may have on your vocal cord quality. Dr. Barbu is an expert in this type of surgery and will discuss all your options with you to make sure you are comfortable with your decision.
While at Harvard, Dr. Barbu was part of the team that pioneered the use of bevacizumab (Avastin™) in patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). A treatment plan innovated by former colleague and mentor, Dr. Steven Zeitels, Avastin injections into the vocal cords have shown benefit in laryngeal papillomatosis. Read more about Drs. Zeitels and Barbu’s publication here.
The use of this innovative treatment for RRP has led Dr. Barbu to be an invited speaker on its topic nationally at other institutions such as Johns Hopkins, and internationally at the Pan-European Voice Conference and other conferences on Human Papilloma Virus research.
Performing same-day, in-office Avastin injections for RRP treatment is yet another example of how Dr. Barbu is bringing Ivy League innovation to Southern California.