Voice Assessment
Assessment of the voice requires a combination of subjective and objective measurements.
Subjective listening from a trained professional can provide very useful information and this is provided by Dr Theo as well as a team of speech pathologists and clinical voice consultants with extensive experience in voice care.
Objective assessment with acoustic analysis of voice parameters as well as visualisation of the larynx (voice box) and vocal folds is also critical.
Dr Theo has HD (high definition) video analysis equipment as well the first HD videostroboscopy system in Adelaide. This enables him to obtain the best possible view of the larynx possible and often leads to diagnosis which may be missed with the older fibre optic scopes. Most voice box surgery should not be performed without prior stroboscopy.
Voice Strengthening - Voice Lift
Like other tissues in the body, as the larynx ages it can become weaker. It is possible to strengthen this with specialised exercises tailored to each patients voice box, however, there is also an adjunctive new method of treatment offered to some patients.
For those whose voice is important to their everyday function if it is starting to become weaker, then a simple injection into the vocal folds under local anaesthetic can make an immediate and dramatic improvement. This has been particularly helpful to public speakers and takes around 10 minutes.
Dr Theo offers this service either in the Adelaide city office or in a hospital operating room and is the first surgeon in Adelaide to be specially trained in this technique having performed hundreds of vocal fold injections both overseas and in Australia.
Surgery On The Voice Box
The voice box is one of the most delicate structures in the human body. There are a whole range of conditions which may require surgery. This can be performed delicately under general anaesthesia with microscopic guidance or comfortably under local anaesthesia with modern equipment.
Prior to any vocal fold surgery a formal assessment with HD videostroboscopy allows Dr Theo to individually plan and explain the steps and likely outcomes to each patient.
Dr Theo is the only fellowship trained sub specialist laryngologist (voice box) specialist in South Australia. He has extensive experience in all voice box surgery and uses the most modern techniques to provide world class outcomes.
