Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
Vocal Cord Dysfunction
Overview
Often confused for asthma, vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) or paradoxical vocal fold movement (PVFM) is a laryngeal (voice box) spasm that causes a restriction in breathing. Often, these spasms occur during exercise and may result in a trip to the emergency room. There are voice therapy strategies to control and often eliminate them.
3Common Symptoms
- Wheezing
- Difficulty breathing
- Hoarseness
Diagnosis and Treatment
The standard treatment for PVFM is voice therapy, where you learn voice exercises and ways to relax when you start to have breathing trouble. In addition, your speech-language pathologist will also help you determine what triggers your PVFM in order to avoid those triggers in the future.
Meet Our Team
We bring together physicians, speech-language pathologists, and other healthcare professionals to provide treatment to patients suffering from voice and throat disorders. Collectively, we are among the world’s most experienced – and most successful – laryngology, voice, and speech teams.
