In case of voice problems or long-term negative vocal changes, please call 044 732 30 10 for a medical assessment by Dr. Salome Zwicky, MD.
Medical Clarification
Singers are visiting our clinic because they notice vocal change when singing. They want to know whether there is an organic change or whether the disturbance must be due to to vocal overload; these two conditions cannot be distinguished well by self-perception alone. If an organic change can be ruled out, only a short consultation is necessary and no further medical measures need to be taken.
Other voice patients visit the doctor because they feel a change in their voice or an unusual feeling in their throat. They mainly want to know if there is something serious, i.e. if there is cancer of the larynx.
The medical clarification with Dr. Salome Zwicky Me takes approximately half an hour and includes the following steps:
- Consultation about the medical history with specific questions about possible causes of the disorder
- Examination by ear, nose and throat specialist
- Videostroboscopy of the vocal folds (examination and pictorial (video) illustration of the vocal folds and their function)
Depending on the disorder, additional examinations may be ordered, for example:
- Hearing test
- Allergy test
- Blood laboratory
- Ultrasound
- Computer tomography/ MRI
- Voice tests:
Voice tests serve to specify the diagnosis and to detect certain disorders. They measure the quality of voice function. The recordings also serve as an evaluation for later use based on which improvements of the voice function can be documented. The following measurements can be taken at the SingStimmZentrum:
- Voice Range Profile Measurement provides information about voice range, volume, ability to sing softly and duration of sustaining a tone
- Recording of a read out text for documentation and for assessing the voice disorder
- Recording of single tones and a simple song for the measurement of electroacoustic parameters, including jitter and shimmer, harmonic to noise ratio, formant analysis, determination of the singer’s formant
- Voice stress test
- Sonagram
- Electroglottography
- LaxVox instruction
At the end of the consultation, the further procedure is discussed.