Voice & Swallowing Disorders

A voice disorder is a voice that sounds out of the ordinary or calls attention to itself due to problems with pitch, loudness or quality. Many things can cause vocal changes, including growths, overuse, neurological disorders, and post-surgical effects.

Our multidisciplinary team treats a wide range of voice conditions, including:

• Benign vocal fold lesions
• Chronic cough
• Professional voice and singing difficulty
• Laryngeal tumors and dysplasia
• Laryngitis
• Laryngopharyngeal reflux
• Neurological voice abnormalities (vocal tremor, spasmodic dysphonia)
• Paradoxical vocal fold movement / vocal cord dysfunction
• Vocal fold immobility (full and partial paralysis)
• Vocal fold atrophy
• Voice dysphoria

If diagnosed early, most voice disorders can be successfully treated. We use lifestyle changes, medicines, leading-edge therapy, and minimally invasive surgery to address voice disorders. Your tailored treatment plan may include:

Medication management of reflux, allergies, candidiasis, laryngitis, or cough

Voice therapy techniques:

• Laryngeal desensitization
• Reconditioning vocal tone and range
• Biofeedback endoscopy
• Changing voice prostheses
• Heart rate variability biofeedback
• Myofascial release
• Neurological regimens (LSVT and SPEAK OUT!)
• Identification and remediation of habits that worsen the voice
• Modifying technique of how voice is produced to improve tone, quality, throat comfort, speaking endurance, and singing ability
• Transgender voice and communication training

The act of swallowing involves the passage of saliva, liquid and food through the mouth, throat and esophagus.

A swallowing disorder is an impairment of the ability to pass saliva, liquid and food through the digestive tract. This can have a significant impact on your nutritional impact.

Swallowing difficulty may be associated with a variety of medical conditions including neurologic disorders (stroke, Parkinson's disease), head and neck cancer, pulmonary disease (COPD), or any other condition that may cause generalized weakness.

Disorders of the esophagus, such as strictures or pockets can also affect swallowing ability.

Swallowing disorders can have a profound impact on how and what you eat. In some cases, patients will require the placement of a feeding tube in order to manage their nutritional needs. Multidisciplinary management techniques can identify the source of the problem as well as the appropriate treatment regimen for safer and more efficient swallowing ability.

Common symptoms of a swallowing disorder:

• Gagging
• Coughing
• Choking
• Food entering the windpipe (going down the wrong way)
• Lung infections (bronchitis, pneumonia)
• Painful swallowing
• Weight loss
• Food sticking or coming back up
• Dependence on feeding tube

Our team treats swallowing disorders with minimally invasive, office-based procedures:

• Fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing
• Modified barium swallowing study
• Transnasal esophagoscopy
• Esophageal dilations
• Esophageal Botox
• Zenker's diverticula repair
• Vocal fold medialization

We also offer swallowing therapy techniques including:

• Strengthening exercises for the lips, tongue, palate and throat
• Compensatory maneuvers to improve safe ingestion of food and liquid
• Modification of dietary textures
• Endoscopic swallowing biofeedback
• Management of swallow and tracheostomy
• Transition off feeding tubes
• Respiratory training
• Electrical stimulation
• Comprehensive patient and family education regarding swallowing impairment and treatment

Also see Esophageal Care