Voice and Swallowing Disorders

Our ENT specialists diagnose and treat diseases of the vocal cords which may cause hoarseness or difficulty swallowing. Any patient who has hoarseness that lasts longer than three weeks should have an examination by a specialist. Part of this examination will include a flexible laryngoscopy to visualize the movement and appearance of the vocal cords. With laryngoscopy we are able to see a variety of abnormalities such as vocal cord polyps, nodules, cysts, and benign or malignant tumors. This office procedure takes about 1-2 minutes and it is not painful. We also treat patients who have difficulty swallowing due to problems in the esophagus. Patients who have a history of heartburn and who develop difficulty swallowing should always have the internal lining of the esophagus inspected with a procedure called esophagoscopy. We are able to perform esophagoscopy right in the office with only topical anesthesia.