Voice, Swallowing and Airway Disorder Care
Our interprofessional, patient-centered approach to care aims to help you preserve and restore your voice, swallowing and airway.
Voice, Swallowing and Airway Disorder Care
Our interprofessional, patient-centered approach to care aims to help you preserve and restore your voice, swallowing and airway.
Patient-focused Care for Voice, Swallowing and Airway Disorders
Whether you have a voice, swallowing, airway or throat disorder, our USC Voice Center team can provide the care you need. Our fellowship-trained laryngologists and specialized speech-language pathologists work side by side with you and your referring physician to design your personalized care plan.
We use cutting-edge technology to evaluate and treat all conditions that affect your voice, ability to swallow or cause airway issues. Our multidisciplinary team provides voice, swallowing and breathing rehabilitation therapies, and we are highly experienced in the care of dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), dysphonia (voice change/loss), laryngitis, throat pain, vocal fold dysfunction, airway stenosis and more.
Our experts understand the importance of providing high-quality care for singers, actors, teachers and others who use their voices professionally. That is why we also include your voice trainers, singing teachers and other support teams to manage your continuity of care and achieve optimal outcomes.
We are dedicated to helping you maintain the demands of your profession, while ensuring the health and longevity of your voice use.
What to Expect at Your Visit to the USC Voice Center
Conditions We Treat
Airway Problems
- Bilateral vocal fold paralysis
- Laryngeal stenosis
- Paradoxical vocal fold motion
- Subglottic stenosis
- Tracheal stenosis
Swallowing Problems
- Cricopharyngeal dysfunction
- Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
- Zenker’s diverticulum
Throat Problems
- Chronic cough
- Globus (lump in throat)
- Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR)
- Throat irritation
- Throat pain
Voice Problems
- Acute and chronic laryngitis
- Aging voice
- Dysphonia (hoarseness)
- Laryngeal papilloma (recurrent respiratory papillomatosis/RRP)
- Muscle tension dysphonia (MTD)
- Singer and professional voice conditions
- Spasmodic dysphonia
- Vocal fold granuloma
- Vocal fold hemorrhage (vocal fold bleed)
- Vocal fold leukoplakia, dysplasia and cancer
- Vocal fold nodules, polyps and cysts
- Vocal fold paralysis
- Vocal fold Reinke’s edema
- Vocal fold scarring (sulcus)
- Vocal tremor
Treatment Therapies We Offer
- Awake KTP (potassium-titanyl-phosphate) and CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser therapy
- Botulinum toxin (Botox) injections for spasmodic dysphonia, vocal tremor and other conditions
- Gender-affirming voice care
- Laryngeal framework surgery to restore voice and swallowing function
- Major open-airway surgery (tracheal and cricotracheal resection)
- Minimally invasive microsurgeries to treat vocal fold lesions, subglottic stenosis, tracheal stenosis, esophageal stenosis and Zenker’s diverticulum
- Office-based therapeutic injections for subglottic stenosis and vocal fold scarring
- Office-based vocal fold injections to treat vocal fold paralysis, paresis and age-related voice change
- Specialized care for singers and performing vocalists
- Specialized swallowing therapy
- Specialized voice therapy
Our State-of-the-art Diagnostic Tools
- Computerized acoustic and aerodynamic assessment of voice
- Diagnostic laryngeal EMG
- Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing
- High-definition rigid and flexible laryngeal videostroboscopy
- High-resolution pharyngeal manometry for swallowing assessment
- Simultaneous evaluation by laryngology, speech-language pathology and singing voice rehabilitation specialists
- Transnasal esophagoscopy
Clinical Trials
Participating in a clinical trial gives you access to new and promising therapies.
Find an open trialProfessional voice patients cared for yearly
Patients successfully treated with voice therapy annually
Procedures performed in-office to avoid the operating room
Patients seen for gender-affirming voice training and surgery yearly
Leaders in Voice, Swallowing and Airway Treatment Therapies
Our center is one of only a few in the U.S. and Southern California that combines and leverages the clinical and research expertise of laryngologists, voice-specialized speech pathologists and singing voice rehabilitation specialists.
We utilize state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and give you access to leading-edge treatment therapies for all types of voice, swallowing and airway conditions.
We offer minimally invasive procedures, including in-office laryngeal videostroboscopy to assess the health of your vocal folds, vocal fold injections and pulsed laser therapy.
Our doctors and voice-specialized speech therapists understand the unique needs of people who use their voice professionally and design treatment plans to help you maintain your voice wellness.