An audiologist-phoniatrist is a doctor who deals with diseases of the voice and hearing organs. These include the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of abnormalities related to the physiological development of speech, voice, language and speech disorders in children and adults. It also treats abnormalities in the auditory organ, which can cause, among other things, abnormal speech development (especially in children) and speech problems due to congenital or post-traumatic deafness. Phoniatry and audiology are one specialty within otorhinolaryngology (ENT medicine).
The Center of Hearing and Speech MEDINCUS’ audiological and phoniatric outpatient clinics include i.a.:
- Diagnosis and treatment of ear diseases (inflammatory and non-inflammatory, congenital defects), hearing disorders (hearing loss, tinnitus, auditory hypersensitivity, central auditory processing disorders) and balance disorders
- Diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of voice and speech disorders in various pathological conditions of the nose, pharynx and larynx (inflammatory and non-inflammatory) and of peripheral or central origin (delayed speech development, speech defects, adult aphasias and childhood dysphasias, dysarthria)
- After diagnosis, we qualify according to the patient’s condition for the appropriate treatment – conservative, surgical (middle ear, hearing implant surgery, rhinoplasty or laryngo-surgery), hearing prosthesis, physical therapy, rehabilitation of hearing, speech or balance organs
Examinations and other services:
- otoscopic, videotoscopic and microscopic examinations
- acumetric hearing tests
- assessment of audiometric hearing tests in children and adults
- indirect and direct laryngoscopy examinations of the larynx using endoscopy with rigid optics and soft optics
- laryngeal stroboscopy
- vocal load and range tests
- diagnosis of voice and speech disorders in children
- treatment with vibro-aerosols (inhalations) of the voice organ
- intralaryngeal instillations
- dysphonia (voice hoarseness)
- acute and chronic laryngitis
- internal and external laryngeal trauma
- organic changes of the vocal cords (polyps, nodules, hemorrhage of the vocal cords, Reinke’s edema, cysts, hyperplastic lesions)
- congenital and acquired laryngeal anomalies
- pre-cancerous conditions (leukoplakia, pachydermia, hyperkeratosis, keratiasis, polyps with a wide base)
- malignant tumors of the larynx
- laryngeal, neck, throat and nasal tumors
- hearing loss
- deafness
- tinnitus
- eustachian tube dysfunction
- aphonia
- occupational voice diseases (i.a. vocal nodules, secondary hypertrophic changes of the vocal folds, muscle paresis with phonatory insufficiency)
- functional voice disorders
- hormonally-induced voice and speech disorders
- mutational voice disorders
- occupational voice disorders
- singing voice disorders
- voice disorders in patients with neuropsychiatric diseases
- vocal fold paresis/paralysis
- delayed speech development
- central speech disorder
- speech defects
- articulation disorders
The audiologist is also involved in diagnosis and initial treatment:
- dyslexia
- stuttering
- autism, mutism, logophobia
An audiologist-phoniatrist should be consulted in the case of:
- chronic hoarseness
- tinnitus
- sensation of ear fullness
- hearing impairments
- prolonged irritation of the throat or larynx
- voice fading
- swallowing disorders
- changes on the tongue
- earache
People who frequently suffer from ear conditions (e.g., ear infections) should also consult an audiologist-phoniatrist, as well as those who experience voice disorders due to the nature of their profession (e.g., teachers, singers, actors, announcers, public speakers).
An audiologist-phoniatrist also treats patients with hearing loss or partial deafness, both of which can lead to abnormal speech development, as well as individuals who stutter.
A separate group of patients seen by an audiologist-phoniatrist includes individuals after surgical procedures or strokes who require rehabilitation to relearn how to speak.
Hearing organ diagnostics:
- pure-tone, impedance and verbal audiometry
- free-field hearing tests
- otoacoustic emissions
- hearing screening tests among newborn
- brainstem evoked potentials (ABRs, including nocturnal ABRs performed at the Center or at the patient’s home)
- diagnosis of tinnitus
- videotoscopy
- CT scan (computed tomography)
- MRI scan (magnetic resonance imaging)
Speech organ diagnostics:
- videostroboscopy
- videolaryngoscopy