Breathing Tube Injury: Synechiae
Pemphigoid
Pemphigus vulgaris (Pemphigoid) is the result of one’s immune system attacking healthy cells in the skin rather than foreign invaders. It creates blisters or sores on the skin which are prone to rupturing and infection. Though it is a skin disease, it often has laryngeal manifestations, which can make it difficult to swallow or eat. […]
Histoplasmosis
Infection by a fungal organism, Histoplasma capsulatum. This organism is found in soil, especially in areas contaminated by bird or bat droppings. Sometimes it is called “spelunker’s disease,” and it seems to be commoner in the Mississippi River valley than in other areas of the United States. Persons who contract this organism may not even […]
Scarring
Refers to fibrous tissue that remains after healing of an injury. In laryngology, leaving trauma out of the picture, scarring is most often seen in the context of surgery, radiation, or prolonged use of an endotracheal tube. If a wound is created, such as after removing a superficial vocal cord cancer, the tissue that results […]
Treatment for Sensory Neuropathic Cough
Instructions: Begin with the medication marked with the large “X.” If, over time, the first prescription fails to provide adequate benefit, you will of course let us know this during a phone or encrypted email followup communication. At that point, we would create a new prescription that you would pick up at your pharmacy. You […]
Swallowing Evaluation and Treatment
What we try to accomplish during an initial consultation: 1. Obtain your general medical history 2. Understand your “swallowing experience” and the symptoms that bother you 3. Examine your palate, tongue, pharynx, and larynx because they comprise your “equipment” for swallowing 4. Study your swallowing function during an office-based videoendoscopic swallow study (VESS) because it […]
Postoperative Voice Use
Voice Use Following Vocal Fold Micro-Surgery in Singers During the first 4 days following surgery–NO TALKING. During this time communicate instead using a dry erase board, pencil and paper or sign language. You may attempt to do gentle “gliding sounds” throughout your range every few hours for a few seconds, of course expecting to be […]
Questions about Endoscopy
Q: What is Endoscopy? A: Endoscopy means to “look within,” in our case either the larynx (voice box), windpipe, esophagus, and throat. This might be done for many different reasons: Just to see and feel something Take a biopsy Try to widen the airway To remove something Some common kinds of endoscopy include microlaryngoscopy and […]
Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction (R-CPD)
Inability to belch or “burp” (Also known as Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction, or R-CPD for short) occurs when the upper esophageal sphincter (cricopharyngeus muscle) loses its ability to relax in order to release the “bubble” of air. The sphincter is a muscular valve that encircles the upper end of the esophagus just below the lower end of […]
Inability to Burp or Belch
Inability to Burp or Belch Inability to burp or belch occurs when the upper esophageal sphincter (cricopharyngeus muscle) cannot relax in order to release the “bubble” of air. The sphincter is a muscular valve that encircles the upper end of the esophagus just below the lower end of the throat passage. If looking from the front […]