Overview

People develop voice problems for many reasons. Doctors who specialize in ear, nose and throat disorders and speech-language pathologists are involved in diagnosing and treating voice disorders.

Treatment depends on what's causing your voice disorder, but may include voice therapy, medication, injections or surgery.

Voice disorder care at Mayo Clinic

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Causes

Your voice box (larynx) is made of cartilage, muscle and mucous membranes located at the top of your windpipe (trachea) and the base of your tongue. Sound is created when your vocal cords vibrate.

This vibration comes from air moving through the larynx, bringing your vocal cords closer together. Your vocal cords also help close your voice box when you swallow, preventing you from inhaling food or liquid.

If your vocal cords become inflamed, develop growths or become paralyzed, they can't work properly, and you may develop a voice disorder.

Some common voice disorders include:

• Laryngitis
• Neurological voice disorders (spasmodic dysphonia, pronounced spaz-MOD-ik dis-FOE-nee-uh)
• Polyps, nodules or cysts on the vocal cords (noncancerous lesions)
• Precancerous and cancerous lesions
• Vocal cord paralysis or weakness
• White patches (leukoplakia, pronounced loo-koh-PLAY-key-uh)

Many factors can contribute to a voice disorder, including:

• Aging
• Alcohol use
• Allergies
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Illnesses, such as colds or upper respiratory infections
• Improper throat clearing over a long time
• Neurological disorders
• Psychological stress
• Scarring from neck surgery or from trauma to the front of the neck
• Screaming
• Smoking
• Throat cancer
• Throat dehydration
• Thyroid problems
• Voice misuse or overuse

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask you detailed questions about your voice problems and examine you thoroughly. A topical anesthetic may be applied to numb your tissues before your doctor uses one of the following tools to examine your vocal cords:

• Mirror. Similar to a dental mirror, a long, rigid instrument with an angled mirror is inserted into your mouth.
• Flexible laryngoscope. A flexible tube containing a light and camera is inserted through your nose.
• Rigid laryngoscope. A rigid viewing tube is inserted through your mouth.
• Videostroboscope. A camera is combined with a flashing light to provide a slow-motion view of your vocal cords as they move.

Additional tests are sometimes used:

• Sound (acoustic) analysis. Using computer analysis, your doctor can measure irregularities in the sound produced by the vocal cords.
• Laryngeal electromyography. Small needles are inserted through the skin to measure the electric currents in your voice box muscles.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com