All Specialties
Voice Center
The Ochsner Voice Center offers a multi-disciplinary approach to voice, swallowing, and airway disorders. We use state-of-the-art equipment to evaluate and treat many disorders of the larynx by implementing medical, surgical, and/or behavioral approaches individualized to each patient. Patients are evaluated by a team including a laryngologist and a speech-language pathologist with special training in voice/swallowing disorders.
Our Services
We treat patients who are having difficulties related to:
- voice: hoarseness, dysphonia, voice loss, vocal fatigue, frequent throat clearing, loss of vocal range, voice breaks, vocal instability, reduced volume
- airway: unresponsive or atypical asthma, problems with tracheostomy, loud breathing, persistent cough
- swallowing: choking on foods/liquids, food sticking in throat, sensation of something in throat, regurgitation of undigested food
The Voice Center team consists of Jeffrey Marino, MD, Jodie Fornadley, CCC-SLP and Amy Clift, CCC-SLP. Our MD/SLP team evaluates patients together in a multi-disciplinary clinic model in order to offer the most comprehensive assessment and treatment plan. We provide care for all professional and avocational voice users, as well as management of swallowing and upper airway disorders. Our specialized speech-language pathologists have over 25 years of combined experience in the treatment of voice and swallowing disorders with significant additional training in the evaluation and treatment of these problems.
Conditions Treated
We offer comprehensive treatments for patients with the following conditions including:
- Muscle tension dysphonia
- Benign vocal fold lesions: nodules, cysts, polyps, granuloma, papilloma, hemorrhage
- Vocal fold scarring
- Vocal fold paresis/paralysis
- Vocal fold atrophy
- Laryngopharyngeal reflux
- Reinke's edema
- Laryngeal tremor
- Dystonia
- Spasmodic dysphonia
- Leukoplakia
- Chronic infectious laryngitis
- Laryngeal cancer
- Glottic stenosis
- Subglottic stenosis
- Tracheal stenosis
- Bilateral vocal fold paralysis
- Paradoxical vocal fold motion/vocal cord dysfunction
- Zenker's diverticulum
- Cricopharyngeal dysfunction
- Reflux
Services Provided
- Clinic setting
- Comprehensive voice evaluation including clinical and instrumental assessment
- High-definition laryngeal videostroboscopy
- Voice therapy
- Respiratory retraining therapy
- Swallowing therapy
- Evaluation of swallowing including endoscopic and radiographic assessment
- Awake in-office procedures
- Laryngeal botulinum toxin injections
- Laryngeal culture
- Transnasal esophagoscopy
- Esophageal dilation
- Vocal cord injection
- Vocal cord laser treatment
- Diagnostic laryngeal EMG
- Surgical management
- Vocal cord microsurgery
- Endoscopic laser surgery
- Laryngeal framework surgery including medialization laryngoplasty and thyroplasty
- Endoscopic resection of laryngeal cancers or other non-cancerous masses
- Cricopharyngeal myotomy
- Surgical treatment of Zenker's diverticulum
- Airway surgery
The Voice Center is located on the second floor of Benson Cancer Center at Ochsner Medical Center - Jefferson Highway.
