Conditions We Treat

During normal fetal development between the 6th and 11th week of pregnancy, the clefts in the lip and palate fuse together. In babies born with cleft lip or cleft palate, one or both of these splits failed to fuse.

Dysphagia means that you can’t swallow well. Many factors may cause dysphagia, and most are temporary and non-life-threatening.

During gastroesophageal reflux, the contents of the stomach and upper digestive tract may reflux all the way up the esophagus, beyond the upper esophageal sphincter (a ring of muscle at the top of the esophagus), and into the back of the throat and possibly the back of the nasal airway. This is known as laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), which can affect anyone. Adults with LPR often complain that the back of their throat has a bitter taste, a sensation of burning, or something stuck. Some patients have hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, throat clearing, and difficulty with the sensation of drainage from the back of the nose (postnasal drip). Some may have difficulty breathing if the voice box is affected. Many patients with LPR do not experience heartburn.

When COVID-19 symptoms last for longer than four weeks after the original infection, this is called long COVID.

Lymphedema is a condition where lymph fluid builds up in body tissues, causing swelling. This is a common outcome following treatment for head and neck cancer.

Vocal cord lesions (physicians call them vocal fold lesions) are a group of noncancerous (benign), abnormal growths within or along the covering of the vocal cord. Vocal cord lesions are one of the most common causes of voice problems and are generally seen in three forms; nodules, polyps, and cysts.

Pediatric feeding disorders consist of problems related to feeding and swallowing, specifically addressing concerns around an infant, a toddler, or a child's ability to chew, swallow, and complete a feeding/meal safely and efficiently.

Spasmodic dysphonia is a rare, chronic neurological disorder that causes spasms in the vocal chords, interrupting the ability to create sound. Symptoms may start slowly, with the voice sounding tight with breaks when speaking. Symptoms develop over time until speech is difficult to understand. The cause of the spasms is generally thought to be an abnormality in the central nervous system.

Vocal cord cysts, or vocal fold cysts, are blisters filled with fluid on the vocal cords. The cords are structures that open for breathing, close for swallowing, and vibrate as air passes through them, producing sound. Cysts sometimes form when there is a blocked duct or a person is born with an abnormal mucous membrane. Cysts may cause cydysphonia, a condition where the vocal cords produce different tones at the same time, making speech hard to understand.