Vocal Cords Research Paper

Watching my friends’ face quiver in disgust after recounting my experience of a videofluoroscopicy and my excitement from viewing the barium travel through the oropharyngeal and pharyngeal phases of swallowing, I realized I wanted to study the extraordinary field of Communication Sciences and Disorders. During my undergraduate career at East Carolina University, my anatomy and physiology class further fostered my enthusiasm for the field when discovering how intricate and complex it is for the human body to perform a simple task such as breathing and swallowing. I was able to utilize my thirst for knowledge of the human anatomy working in Dr. Perry’s Speech Imaging and Visualization Laboratory and enhance my writing skills by reviewing peer reviewed journal articles. Ultimately working and observing lab assistants create 3D anatomical models of the laryngeal mechanism, velopharyngeal mechanism, swallowing mechanism, skull and cranium,

The vocal note produced by the vibrations of the vocal folds is complex and made up of periodic (regular and repetitive) and aperiodic (irregular and non-repetitive) sound waves. The aperiodic waves are random noise introduced into the vocal signal owing to irregular or asymmetric adduction (closing) of the vocal folds. Noise impairs the clarity of the vocal note and too much noise is perceived as hoarseness.

Mrs. Newman has been experiencing hoarseness and a change in her voice, but she did not seek medical help until she began to have difficulty swallowing. After being seen by her healthcare provider, she is scheduled for outpatient surgery for a direct laryngoscope to obtain a culture and take a biopsy.

Those that you have to counsel a specialist or expert about before getting the treatment

Some of the duties of a speech pathologist are, but are not limited to, evaluate patients’ levels of speech, language, or swallowing difficulty, identify treatment options, teach patients how to make sounds and improve their voices, work with patients to develop and strengthen the muscles used to swallow, and counsel patients and families on how to cope with communication and swallowing disorders (Duties, www.bls.org, 2015). ‘If the speech-language pathologists work in medical facilities, they work with physicians and surgeons, social workers, psychologists, and other healthcare workers’ (Duties, www.bls.org, 2015).

There are many treatments to help with keeping people healthy and extending the life expectancy for this disease. One of the treatments

A speech language pathologist, otherwise known as an SLP, deals with many people throughout their career, which includes patients who do and do not want to receive assistance for their disorders. Sometimes a patient might refuse because they are too young to understand why they need therapy, and adults might refuse the aid of an SLP because they do not find it necessary to receive treatment for the speech, language, or hearing disorder. To address these problems SLP’s will have to give the proper help to the patient as needed. For a child, the SLP might use toys or activities to get the child involved in a talking atmosphere. In a adult’s case, it would be ideal to give the patient as much information as possible in order to let them fully

Cervical lymphadenopathy is the enlargement or swelling of the cervical lymph nodes. Cervical lymph nodes are the lymph nodes located at the anterior and posterior aspect of the neck and under the jaw. A thorough knowledge of the anatomy of the neck is essential to formulate a differential diagnosis. Cervical lymphadenopathy is not uncommon, especially in children and therefore differential diagnoses are broad (Lang, & Kansy, 2014). The causes of cervical lymphadenopathy can be infections, autoimmune disorders, or malignancy.

Speech-language pathologists, also known as speech therapists, assess, diagnose, treat, and help to control communication and swallowing disorders in patients. Speech-language pathologists try to find out the level of difficulty of their speech, language, or swallowing disorder, and see what type of treatment is needed. They also have to plan the treatments to the patients’ needs. If the patient has swallowing problems then the pathologist has to help the patient strength the muscles that they used to swallow. Then the most important thing a speech pathologist does is that they talk to the patient and their family on how they can help with the communication and swallowing disorder.

The internal receiver and non-magnetic plug are then placed under the skin away from the incision. Sennaroglu and Ziyal (2012) state that “care must be taken so that the incision does not directly cross the area where the receiver/stimulator is to be placed. Failure to do this may cause device extrusion.” After the surgeon removes the temporal bone and the schwannoma, he identifies the landmarks of the lateral recess, specifically the foramen of Luschka (senna). The foramen of Luschka can be found by locating the IX cranial nerve. “In the surgical setting, where there is almost always distortion of the brain stem from the tumor, the foramen of Luschka is located superior to the ninth nerve” (senna). After identifying the landmarks of the lateral recess, dissection is stopped, and the posterior fossa is occluded with gelfoam. At this point, the surgeon secures the receiver in the outer table of the skull. Dissection then continues in the posterior fossa. Next, the ground electrode is placed under the temporalis muscle, and the electrode array’s side mesh is trimmed to fit inside the lateral recess. Finally, the electrodes are carefully inserted into the cochlear nucleus (Wilkinson). Placement of the electrode array is determined by using electrophysiological

The speech-language pathologists (SLPs) at Martin Health System (MHS) evaluate, diagnose, and treat a diverse patient population who present with a myriad of medical issues, the most common of which is a condition known as dysphagia. More than 80% of patients referred to an SLP at our facility present with this diagnosis. Broadly characterized by trouble swallowing, dysphagia includes everything from painful swallows, to coughing or choking while eating and drinking, or even a sensation of a lump in throat, . Complications of dysphagia can lead to dehydration, malnutrition, and respiratory problems such as aspiration pneumonia, fatigue, cognitive confusion, decreased quality of life, or even death.

The ability to remain calm and find a solution to a setback in a timely manner is a very great quality to possess. Speech pathologists, like many other professionals, are going to run into various problems throughout therapy sessions, paperwork, meeting expectations, and much more, but being able to effectively resolve these difficulties are vital to success. Speech pathologists are trained to solve problems and find solutions that work best for their patients, so being able to do so with accuracy and confidence will lead to their success. Therapy involves evaluation and then treatment, and if during the treatment something seems unconstructive, adjustments will need to be made, based on what will provide solutions to the problems at hand. A well-trained speech-language pathologist needs to be able to work under pressure and find resolutions to various problems in order to be successful in the

Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) is the complete immobility of one vocal fold. According to Sapienza and Ruddy (2013), “90% of vocal fold paralysis that occurs is unilateral and caused by damage to the peripheral nervous system” (p. 189). Vocal fold paralysis is typically considered a symptom of a disease or neurologic disruption. In one study, it was found that vocal fold paralysis was caused by surgical trauma, tumors or neoplasms, unknown or idiopathic factors, trauma, central nervous system dysfunction, radiation, inflammatory, cardiovascular, and other causes (Chen, Jen, Wang, Lee, & Lin, 2007). Symptoms of unilateral vocal fold paralysis may include: aphonia, abnormal vocal quality (breathy, hoarse, and/or strained), and dysphagia. Onset of UVFP may be life altering as the individual has to find compensatory strategies for voicing or even alternative methods of communication. The individual is also left susceptible to aspiration due to the lack of airway protection. These factors make it critical to diagnose the impairment so as to provide the appropriate treatment.

• Endoscopy. This is a procedure to look into your stomach using a thin, flexible tube that has a tiny camera and light on the end of it.

The last option is surgical voice restoration which was introduced by Singer & Blom in 1980(Blom,1995) Not all patients are suitable for this however, It involves a tracheoesophageal speaking valve, a small fistula is surgically created through the tracheal wall into the oesophagus. A small, one way valve is inserted into the fistula and it allows air to be shunted from the trachea to the oesophagus and up through the pharyngo-oesophageal segment creating an acoustic wave form and voice. A longer flow of voice can be achieved as pulmonary air is used as the initiator for voice.