Lee M. Akst, MD
Assistant Professor
Director, Section of Laryngology
Lee M. Akst, MD has been a faculty member at the Loyola University Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery since August 2006. He has been director of the Section of Laryngology, specializing in voice and swallowing disorders, since his appointment.
Dr. Akst attended Yale College for his undergraduate degree in Political Science and then completed his medical degree at Yale University School of Medicine. His Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery residency was completed at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. This was followed by a Laryngology fellowship with Dr. Steven Zeitels at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation in Boston, Massachusetts. He is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology.
Dr. Akst has clinical and research interests in a wide range of voice and swallowing disorders. He has published on a variety of otolaryngology topics, with a focus on voice and swallowing. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of hoarseness from a variety of vocal disorders, including vocal cord paralysis, vocal cord cancer, and spasmodic dysphonia. He has an active interest in care of the professional voice, and he is skilled in the diagnosis and management (both surgical and non-surgical) of singers and their voice complaints. He also provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment for a variety of swallowing disorders.
As part of his subspecialty training, Dr. Akst is proud to offer a number of office-based treatments performed under local anesthesia. In many cases, these treatments provide a safe and well-tolerated alternative to surgery in an operating room. These office-based therapies include:
- Botox injection for spasmodic dysphonia
- Transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) for evaluation of the esophagus in patients with reflux disease
- Vocal cord injection for vocal cord paralysis or weakness
- Pulsed laser therapy for early vocal cord cancers and pre-malignant conditions
- Pulsed laser therapy for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis
Special Interests:
Director, Section of Laryngology
Voice disorders and laryngeal surgery – vocal cord nodules, polyps,
cysts, cancer, papilloma, paralysis; spasmodic dysphonia; laryngopharyngeal
reflux
Swallowing disorders – dysphagia; odynophagia; aspiration; stricture;
diverticulum
Office-based treatments
Academic Background:
Board Certified in Otolaryngology
Fellowship in Laryngology at the Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Vocal
Rehabilitation, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Residency at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Medical School at Yale University School of Medicine
Selected Articles & Publications:
Veigl ML, Donover SP, Anderson RD, Akst L, Sedwick CE, Sedwick WD. The Effect of Isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyransoid Induction of the Lac Operon on the Specificity of Spontaneous and Doxirubicin-induced Mutations in Escherichia coli. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 26(1):16-25, 1995.
Akst LM, Smolinski SE, Maragh MR, Salami S, Gokur O, Vinneau L, Friedman AF. Different Patterns of Cadaver Heart Utilization in Two Similar OPO’s. Transplantation Proceedings 29(8):3394-3396, 1997.
Conte MS, VanMeter G, Akst LM, Clemons T, Kashgarian M, Bender JR. Endothelial Cell Seeding Influences Lesion Development Following Arterial Injury in the Cholesterol-Fed Rabbit. Cardiovascular Research 53(2):502-511, 2002.
Eliachar I, Chan J, Akst L. New Approaches to the Management of Subglottic Stenosis in Wegener’s Granulomatosis. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 69 (Suppl 2):SII-149 - SII-151, 2002.
Eliachar I, Akst LM, Eliashar R. Unaided Speech in Tube-free Tracheostomy: The Supplementary Sling Procedure. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 127:213-220, 2002.
Hoffman GS, Thomas-Golbanov CK, Chan J, Akst LM, Eliachar I. Treatment of Subglottic Stenosis, due to Wegener's Granulomatosis, with Intralesional Corticosteroids and Dilation. Journal of Rheumatology 30(5):1017-1021, 2003.
Akst LM, Lee W, Discolo C, Knott D, Younes A, Koltai PJ. A Stepped Dose Protocol for Intralesional Cidofovir in Pediatric Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis. Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 129:841-846, 2003.
Akst LM, Thompson DL. Larygneal Amyloidosis: Pathologic Review. Ear, Nose, and Throat Journal 82:844-845, 2003.
Akst LM, Siemionow M, Dan O, Izycki D, Strome M. Induction of Tolerance in a Rat Model of Larygneal Transplantation. Transplantation 76(12):1763-1766, 2003.
Akst LM, Dipasquale B, Berho M, Greene D, Roberts J. Dirofilarial Infection Presenting as a Facial Mass: Case Report of an Emerging Zoonosis. American Journal of Otolaryngology 25(2):134-137, 2004.
Akst LM, Discolo C, Dipasquale B, Greene D, Roberts J. Metastatic Seminoma with Cervical Lymphadenopathy as the Initial Manifestation. Ear, Nose and Throat Journal 83(5):356-359, 2004.
Chan J, Akst LM, Eliachar I. The Roles of the Anterior Tonsillar Pillars and Prior Tonsillectomy on Sleep Disordered Breathing. Ear, Nose and Throat Journal 83(6):408-413, 2004.
Akst LM, Eliachar I. Long-Term Tube-Free (Permanent) Tracheostomy in Morbidly Obese Patients. Letter to the Editor. Laryngoscope 114(8):1511-1512, 2004.
Akst LM, Chan J, Elson P, Saxton J, Adelstein D, Strome M. Functional Outcomes following Chemoradiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 131(6):950-957, 2004.
Akst LM, Albani BJ, Strome M. Subacute Infratemporal Fossa Cellulitis with Subsequent Abscess Formation in an Immunocompromised Patient. American Journal of Otolaryngology 26(1):35-38, 2005.
Discolo CM, Akst LM, Schlossberg L, Greene D. Anterior Cranial Fossa Glioblastoma with Sleep Apnea as the Initial Manifestation. American Journal of Otolaryngology 26(5):327-329, 2005.
Akst LM, Weber PC. Facial Nerve Management in Cochlear Implant Surgery. Operative Techniques in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 16(2):78-81, 2005.
Milstein CF, Akst LM, Hicks DM, Abelson TI, Strome M. Long-term Effects of Micronized Alloderm Injection for Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis. Laryngoscope 115(9):1691-1696, 2005.
Akst LM, Dan O, Strome M. The Effect of Donor-Specific Transfusion upon Rejection in a Rat Model of Larygneal Transplantation. American Journal of Otolaryngology 27(1):13-17, 2006.
Shipchandler TZ, Akst LM, Greene D, Henry M. Spindle Cell Lipoma: Pathology Quiz. Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 132:221-223, 2006.
Lott D, Akst LM, Greene D, Roberts J. T-cell Primary Cutaneous Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma Mimicking Appearance of Large Basal Cell Carcinoma: Clinical Photograph. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 135:170-171, 2006.
Zeitels SM, Akst LM, Burns JA, Hillman RE, Broadhurst MS, Anderson RR. Pulsed Angiolytic Laser Treatment of Ectasias and Varices in Singers. Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology 115:571-580, 2006.
Lee WT, Akst LM, Adelstein DJ, Saxton JP, Wood BG, Strome M, Esclamado RM. Risk Factors for Hypopharyngeal/Upper Esophageal Stricture Formation after Concurrent Chemoradiation. Head and Neck 28:808-812, 2006.
Zeitels SM, Akst LM, Burns JA, Hillman RE, Broadhurst MS, Anderson RR. Office-Based 532nm Pulsed-KTP Laser Treatment of Glottal Papillomatosis and Dysplasia. Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology 115:679-685, 2006
Kobler JB, Rosen DI, Burns JA, Akst LM, Broadhurst MS, Zeitels SM, Hillman RE. Validation of a Flexible Laryngeal Endoscope with Calibrated Sizing Function by Comparison to Intraoperative Measurements. Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology 115:733-740, 2006.
Chung BJ, Akst LM, Koltai PJ. 3.5 Year Follow-up of Intralesional Cidofovir Protocol for Pediatric Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology 70:1911-1917, 2006
Zeitels SM, Burns JA, Akst LM, Hillman RE, Broadhurst MS, Anderson RR. Office-based and Microlaryngeal Applications of a Fiber-based Thulium Laser. Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology, submitted.
Broadhurst MS, Akst LM, Burns JA, Kobler JB, Heaton JT, Anderson RR, Zeitels SM. Effects of 532nm Pulsed-KTP Laser Parameters on Vessel Ablation in the Avian Chorioallantoic Membrane: Implications for Vocal-Fold Mucosa. Laryngoscope, submitted.
Akst LM. “Parathyroidectomy.” The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Surgical Patient Management, ed. J. Ponsky. St. Louis: Mosby, 2002; 197-204.
Akst LM. “Melanoma.” The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Surgical Patient Management, ed. J. Ponsky. St. Louis: Mosby, 2002; 269-278.
Akst LM. “Tracheotomy.” The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Surgical Patient Management, ed. J. Ponsky. St. Louis: Mosby, 2002; 331-336.
Akst LM, Strome M. “Laser Surgery for Head and Neck Cancer.” Squamous Cell Head and Neck Cancer: Recent Clinical Progress and Prospects for the Future, ed. D. Adelstein. Totowa, New Jersey: Humana Press, 2005; 43-58.
Akst LM, Lorenz R, Eliachar I. “Tracheostomy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.” Atlas of Sleep Apnea and Snoring, ed. M. Friedman, submitted.
Akst LM, Zeitels SM. “History of Laryngology.” Textbook of Laryngology, eds. A. Merati and S. Bielamowicz. San Diego: Plural Publishing, 2006.
Akst LM, Broadhurst MS, Zeitels SM. “History of Tracheotomy.” Tracheotomy, eds. E. Myers, J. Johnson, T. Murry. Clifton Park, New York: Thomson Delmar Learning, submitted.
