Videostroboscopy

What’s Going on With My Voice?

Is your voice not what it used to be? Are you losing your voice frequently, experiencing hoarseness, or persistent strain? A videostroboscopy assessment will provide a more detailed analysis of your vocal folds while you are producing sound and will help give you information on what is causing your voice issues so that changes can be made. Videostroboscopy is a much more sensitive tool and more helpful in identifying subtle issues happening with the voice compared to other techniques, such as a flexible transnasal laryngoscopy. Videostroboscopy provides a more detailed view and can reveal problems with the vocal folds such as growths, or irregularities in the vibration pattern or movement of the folds themselves. Muscles surrounding the folds are viewed to see if they are working when voicing occurs. The color of the folds and surrounding muscles is assessed to see if there is redness or swelling. Videostroboscopy uses a flashing light source to create a slow motion view of vocal fold vibration. Vocal fold vibration is very fast – the “slow motion” view is actually taken from many successive rounds of vibration. This unique viewing allows the voice care team to look at how each vocal fold vibrates during the different phases of the vocal fold’s vibration cycle, allowing for clear identification of smaller abnormalities in vocal fold movement that are unable to be observed using any other technique. Videostroboscopy provides key elements in voice assessment to assist in a plan for voice recovery. From this information, therapy sessions to improve voice use can be prepared so that your intervention can be individualized and suited to your own specific needs. Videostroboscopy is highly recommended when a voice disorder is due to abnormalities that affect vocal fold vibration.

These abnormalities can include:

-vocal fold scarring

-a lesion/mass (cyst, polyp, nodule)

-incomplete closure of the vocal cords

-abnormal vocal cord vibration

-asymmetrical/uneven movement of the vocal folds

Videostroboscopy