If the nerve supply or muscles of one vocal cord stop working the cord becomes paralysed and the voice may become very breathy.
Sometimes the other cord can make up for the weakness but if it does not surgery may be an option to ‘medialise’ the vocal cord (push the paralysed cord toward the other cord) to allow the working cord to compensate for the weakness. This can be carried out by inserting a small block of rubber like material (silastic) into the larynx through a small cut in the skin to push the paralysed vocal cord into the middle (thyroplasty) or by injection of a 'filler' into the paralysed cord.
