Auckland Voice and Swallow specializes in in-office management for both diagnosis and treatment of all ENT disorders. We are the only Practice offering in-office transnasal oesophagoscopy for swallowing problems, reflux diagnosis, Barrett's metaplasia surveillance, hiatal hernia diagnosis, choking, lump in the throat or chronic cough. This means that it can be done immediately, at first consultation, without needing to schedule for another appointment or for any sedation or anaesthesia.
We also offer in office treatment for voice problems including hoarseness due to nodules, cysts, polyps, papilloma or cancers. We can treat voice spasms, spasmodic dysphonia, and cricopharyngeal spasm both in the office or in the operating room. Below is a table of some of the procedures offered by our Team.
Procedure | How I do it | What does it tell us | Office or OR |
Nasopharyngoscopy | Small flexible camera through the nose | Shows nasal passages, throat, voicebox and vocal cords | Both |
Transnasal oesophagoscopy | Small flexible camera through nose all way to stomach | As above, plus the food pipe (oesophagus) through to the stomach | Both |
Stroboscopy | Small flexible camera through the nose, and microphone on the neck | Shows in detail vibration of the vocal cords for voice problems | Office |
KTP Laser treatment | Small laser fibre through the inside of a flexible telescope passed through the nose | Treatment for vocal lesions, papilloma, cancer, scarring of vocal cords and oesophagus | Both |
Gold Laser treatment | Small laser fibre through the inside of a flexible telescope passed through the nose | Treatment for vocal lesions, papilloma, cancer, scarring of vocal cords and oesophagus | Both |
Balloon dilation | A small balloon is passed through the inside of a flexible telescope passed through the nose | Treatment for airway stenosis, oesophageal stenosis (narrowing) | Both |
Botox or vocal fold injection | Injection through the skin of the neck or through the port of a flexible endoscope passed through the nose | Treatment of voice spasms, muscles spasm causing swallowing problems, or of voice weakness or paralysed vocal folds | Both |
pH testing | A small probe is passed through the nose into the oesophagus (food pipe) | Measures acid reflux | Office |
Manometry | A small probe is passed through the nose into the oesophagus (food pipe) | Measures muscle strength of throat and oesophagus | Office |
See photographs on our pictures page of the equipment used for these procedures, and of some of the pathology that can occur in the throat and food pipe.
Procedures may taken anywhere from 15-40 minutes depending on what needs to be done.
Costing varies between procedures. Please contact our office for further details.