Voice

Dr. Husain is dedicated to provide state of the art diagnostic & therapeutic services, for people who are trying to overcome difficulties of any kind of voice disturbance, e.g. hoarseness, low & raspy voice, inability to speak for prolonged periods, difficulty breathing & swallowing, foreign body sensation throat with throat clearing, and cough.

The ability to hear & speak effects how well a person can communicate with the outside world, any problems effecting an individual’s voice can have a major impact on relationships, education, career opportunities & self-image. 

Most common disorders of the voice, seen in patients that we treat are the following:

• Vocal cord paralysis or insufficiency that is the weakness or immobility of the vocal cords. The paralysis could be unilateral or bilateral.
• Vocal cord lesions, including polyps, nodules, cysts, and scars affecting the ability of the vocal cords to vibrate properly.
• Habitual dysphonia from vocal abuse with or without smoking and alcohol intake. Vocal abuse definitely represents one of the irritative processes that eventually may precipitate other diseases.
• Reflux laryngitis, an inflammation of larynx caused by gastric acid irritation, frequently results in decreased vocal performance and throat irritation.
• Cancer of the larynx or voice box.

Diagnosis:
Diagnosis of voice disorders consists of patient’s comprehensive medical history and a detailed physical exam which may include; flexible laryngoscopy and/or videostroboscopy to observe and record the vibrations of the vocal cords.  

Treatment:  
Vocal cord paralysis or insufficiency may be treated by: 

• Speech therapy which is management by speech therapist to help the patient to speak without straining the muscles of neck and larynx, including vocal cords. Speech therapy is also utilized post surgery to prevent recurrent disease.
• Vocal Cord sculpting and augmentation by injecting innovative substances like Radiesse.
• Surgery of the larynx to allow to bring vocal cords together. e.g thyroplasty or surgical alteration of laryngeal frame work.

Microsuspension laryngoscopy and microsurgery, which uses endoscope to visualize the vocal cords and remove abnormalities like nodules, polyps and other growths including biopsies for precancerous and cancerous lesions using tiny surgical instruments and/or laser. 

Laryngeal Cancer:  
This cancer is treated after diagnosis is established with examination and cancer stage is determined. The case is presented to tumor board- A board of highly specialized doctors for treatment and management of cancer with a team approach.