Intermountain Press Release

Salt Lake City—Patients throughout the Intermountain Region who suffer from voice disorders have new hope.

Intermountain Healthcare's LDS Hospital has opened a new, state-of-the-art, specialized voice clinic that offers the most advanced treatment for patients who suffer from a wide spectrum of voice disorders.

The new clinic features equipment that allows for more sophisticated evaluation than previously available. Digital video stroboscopy, for example, provides clinicians with a clear view of a patient's vocal fold structure and function, including wave movement. Flexible endoscopy allows for direct visualization of the pharynx, as well as the larynx.

Patients can view a digital video playback of their examination to understand how their voice functions and learn how to manage their own voice care. Specialized software measures and analyzes pitch and range, volume and quality, and then helps us adjust and improve them.

Self-management can significantly enhance long-term outcomes, says LDS Hospital voice therapist Anna Siciliano. "This new clinic allows us to make very accurate diagnosis of voice disorders and develop a therapy program that's customized to each patient," she says.

Before joining LDS Hospital, Siciliano served as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston and at the Baylor College of Medicine's Texas Voice Center, where her patients included professional opera and Broadway vocalists, politicians, ministers, teachers, and rock singers.

Siciliano says patients with a history of hoarseness, vocal fatigue, voice loss, or any other condition where changes have occurred in voice production can benefit from the clinic. The clinic will also treat patients who need voice therapy after medical and surgical interventions, and patients who use their voices professionally, who can be taught vocal health and hygiene practices.

"People who use their voices frequently in their work are particularly at risk for vocal fatigue," says Siciliano "Teachers, who spend much of their day speaking in noisy environments top the list of professionals with voice problems, but other professionals, such as singers and lawyers also at risk." A voice disorder for these individuals may be career threatening and should be evaluated by a qualified voice care ream.

To get more information about the clinic or to schedule an appointment, call the LDS Hospital Voice Clinic at 408-5489.