Description
Meet Dr. Gresham Richter, chair of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at UAMS Health.
In this video, Dr. Richter explains the common causes of voice and swallowing disorders and how specialized evaluation can help identify the underlying problem. While these issues become more common with age, many are treatable — and left unaddressed, they can significantly affect quality of life.
Common causes include age-related changes to the voice and swallowing mechanism, vocal cord weakness, Zenker’s diverticulum, and structural conditions that block the swallowing passageway and prevent normal movement of food and secretions. Dr. Richter describes how the UAMS Health ENT team uses advanced diagnostic tools — including direct visualization of the throat — to identify what is driving a patient’s symptoms.
Treatment options vary depending on the condition and may include in-clinic procedures or minimally invasive surgical options such as dilation or targeted treatment of the vocal cords or swallowing passageway.
At UAMS Health, patients have access to a comprehensive ENT team with the specialized equipment and expertise needed to diagnose and treat even complex voice and swallowing conditions.
If you are experiencing hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, or other voice and swallowing concerns, learn how the experts at UAMS Health can help you find answers and get back to living comfortably.
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Transcript
One of the benefits of working at UAMS is that we have all the equipment needed to help diagnose patients for a variety of ear, nose, and throat conditions — including swallowing problems and voice problems. If you have those concerns, we bring you in to look at the back of your throat in order to identify the underlying problem.
It is not uncommon for people to experience worsening voice and swallowing issues as they get older. There are many things that are easy to treat but can become a chronic problem if left unaddressed.
Common causes include the natural aging of the voice and swallowing mechanism, vocal cord weakness, Zenker’s diverticulum, and structural conditions that block the swallowing passageway and prevent normal movement of secretions and food.
Many of these voice and swallowing issues can be treated either directly in the clinic or in the operating room through procedures such as dilation or targeted treatment of the vocal cords or swallowing passageway.
