From everyday hoarseness to complex vocal fold lesions, our laryngology team identifies the precise cause of your voice change and restores function with the least invasive effective treatment.
Hoarseness is a change in voice quality — rough, breathy, strained or weak — that makes speaking effortful. While a few days of hoarseness after a cold is normal, a voice that stays changed for more than three weeks needs evaluation. It is the single most common reason patients come to a voice clinic, and it is a symptom, not a diagnosis.
Causes range from simple vocal strain and reflux to nodules, nerve weakness and, less commonly, early laryngeal cancer. We use videostroboscopy to see exactly what your vocal folds are doing before recommending any treatment.
These benign growths on the vocal folds are the leading cause of voice problems in people who use their voice heavily. Nodules are callus-like and usually form on both folds from repeated strain. Polyps are softer, often one-sided, and can follow a single episode of vocal overuse or a coughing fit. Cysts sit within the fold and tend to need surgical treatment.
When the nerve supplying a vocal fold is injured, the fold cannot move normally. The result is a weak, breathy voice, vocal fatigue, and sometimes coughing or choking when drinking. Paralysis frequently follows thyroid, chest or neck surgery, viral infection, or pressure from a tumour along the nerve's path.
Treatment is tailored to the cause and may include voice therapy, an injection to bulk up the fold, or framework (medialisation) surgery to reposition it so the folds meet again.
Acid travelling up from the stomach can irritate the delicate tissues of the voice box without ever causing classic heartburn. Tell-tale signs include morning hoarseness, frequent throat clearing, a sensation of a lump in the throat, chronic cough and post-nasal drip. We confirm the diagnosis on laryngoscopy and manage it with targeted lifestyle measures, medication and voice care.
Puberphonia is the persistence of a high-pitched, childlike voice in an adult — most often a young man whose voice did not deepen after puberty despite a normal larynx. It is highly treatable: most cases respond to specialised voice therapy, and a smaller number benefit from a short phonosurgical procedure. We also treat other pitch and resonance disorders, including muscle tension dysphonia.
White or thickened patches on the vocal cords — leukoplakia — can be a reaction to irritation or an early warning sign that needs close attention. Because some lesions carry a risk of progressing, we perform careful microlaryngeal biopsy under magnification, give an accurate diagnosis, and monitor or treat as needed. Early evaluation is the single most important factor in good outcomes.
Spasmodic dysphonia is a neurological voice disorder causing involuntary spasms of the vocal folds, producing a strained, strangled or broken voice. Vocal tremor causes a shaky, wavering voice. Both are managed with expert assessment and targeted treatment to smooth and steady the voice.
A single stroboscopy assessment can identify the cause. Book a dedicated voice consultation today.
