Harbouring Trust Among Patients
Harbouring Trust Among Patients
Some of common problem in the throat and voice box are:
Usually pain in the throat can be caused by infection of the tonsils or the back of the throat called pharynx, but it can also occur due to high acidity, anaemia or cancer. Hence if the pain in the throat is persisting and not responding to usual treatment, the opinion of an ENT. surgeon should be obtained.
Temporary symptomatic relief can be achieved by painkillers and warm gargles.
One of the most common cause of hoarseness is an attack of common cold which can spread to the voice box leading to hoarseness, which usually clears up in a short time in majority of cases. The other common cause of hoarseness is misuse and overuse of voice, that is speaking too much or shouting. Professions involving overuse or misuse of voice can often lead to hoarseness. Such persons can develop vocal nodules also called singer’s nodes in the voice box. Hoarseness can also be produced by chronic infection, acidity, cancer, or paralysis of vocal cords. If the hoarseness does not recover with usual treatment in 10 to 15 days, one should get examined by an ENT. surgeon for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Voice rest and steam inhalation can take care of simple cases of hoarseness. A judicious use of antibiotics and antiinflammatory medicines by your doctor can also help the clearance of hoarseness. If hoarseness does not resolve in 10 to 15 days, you can consult an ENT. surgeon for diagnosis and treatment. Microlaryngoscopy is performed in deserving cases for precise diagnosis and treatment of diseases like vocal nodules, polyps and cancer.
It is a procedure for precise diagnosis and treatment of the diseases of vocal cords under the illumination and magnification of operating microscope. It is performed under general anaesthesia and in our clinic, microlaryngoscopy is carried out as a day care procedure.
Speech therapy can help the treatment of hoarseness by exercises of vocal cords and relaxation techniques. Speech therapy is also useful for preventing recurrence of hoarseness. Speech therapy is also advised for recovery from paralysis of vocal cords, aphasia due to general paralysis, stammering and other speech related problems.
Obstruction to swallowing can result from a number of causes affecting the food pipe like foreign bodies, stricture causing narrowing of food pipe, acidity, paralysis and even cancer. These problems need the attention of an ENT. surgeon for diagnosis and treatment. Conditions like foreign bodies, allergy, paralysis and cancer of throat and voice box can cause difficult and noisy breathing, which needs care by an ENT. surgeon.
Swellings in the neck can be caused by a number of diseases. Some common diseases can range from swelling of salivary glands, simple swellings like sebaceous cysts and lipoma, and tuberculosis and cancer of lymph nodes. Thyroid gland can cause swelling in the lower part of the neck. All these conditions of the neck should be shown to an ENT. surgeon for proper diagnosis and treatment.