Voice Center
Comprehensive and Compassionate Care
for Voice Disorders
The Voice Center at Memorial Hospital Pembroke provides comprehensive assessment, treatment, education and support for patients with various voice disorders and conditions. The Voice Center is dedicated to delivering Memorial’s exceptional brand of patient- and family-centered care, and the highly trained medical team includes certified speech-language pathologists who work in conjunction with otolaryngologists (also known as ear, nose and throat specialists or ENTs) to develop individualized plans to help meet each patient’s needs.
Understanding and Treating Voice Disorders
Voice disorders include chronic or consistent vocal change (hoarseness), loss of voice (dysphonia), vocal fatigue, tension or pain when talking or singing. These chronic changes can affect communication with family members, as well as in social, vocational or professional settings. The Voice Center can help provide relief from these symptoms.
The first visit includes functional voice assessment and an acoustical recording, as well as visualization of the vocal cords using a laryngeal video endostroboscopy (LVES) unit. This assessment uses a specialized camera with stroboscopic light that enhances the view of the vocal cords by decreasing the rate of vibrations. These images are recorded and stored in a computer, which allows the clinician to send the images to the specialists and print a copy for the client.
Depending on the results of the evaluation, treatment may be necessary to help improve the vocal quality. Treatment involves vocal exercises and vocal hygiene education. In addition, a home exercise program is essential to help shape the voice to support the patient’s unique vocal needs.
Symptoms of a voice disorder may include:
- Loss or severe change in voice lasting longer than a few days
- Hoarseness that lasts longer than two to three weeks
- Hoarseness associated with any of the
following symptoms: Pain not from a cold or flu;
Coughing up blood;Difficulty swallowing; A lump in the neck - Long-term voice change that affects quality of life or prevents effective communication
- Voice changes for a vocal professional (singer, teacher, lawyer, minister, etc.)
- Despite allergy medications, a throat sensation or vocal change persists
- Severe and prolonged sore throat
- Presence of a gurgling sound when talking or just breathing
Common voice (vocal cord/voice box) disorders include:
- Functional voice disorders
- Paralysis/paresis (vocal cord weakness)
- Benign lesions, including nodules, polyps, cysts and granulomas
- Spasmodic dysphonia
- Other neurological diseases that affect the voice, including Parkinson’s disease
- Chronic hoarseness/dysphonia
- Laryngeal trauma
To see a speech-language pathologist at the Voice Center,
please follow these steps:
- Visit your otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist/ENT) for a referral to the Voice Center
- Call the Voice Center at (954) 883-8421 to make an appointment as soon as possible
Tips for preventing voice problems:
- Hydrate and drink at least eight glasses of water per day and limit or avoid beverages that dehydrate the body (examples: alcohol and caffeine)
- If you smoke, quit
- Avoid secondhand smoke
- Watch your diet and limit spicy foods
- Avoid raising your voice for long periods of time
- Use a microphone if you need to project your voice
- When you can’t talk, do not whisper; instead give your voice a rest
The Voice Center is located in the Memorial Hospital Pembroke Outpatient Services Rehabilitation Building
at 2217 North University Drive on the Memorial Hospital Pembroke campus.
For more information about the Voice Center or to schedule an appointment, call Memorial Hospital
Pembroke Outpatient Rehabilitation Services at (954) 883-8421.
To find a Memorial physician, call Memorial Physician Referral Service toll-free at (800) 944-DOCS. We're available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.