Laryngeal Videostroboscopy

Once your physician has referred you to the voice lab for assessment, you will likely undergo a laryngeal videostroboscopic examination. This enables the voice pathologist to assess the vibratory characteristics of the vocal folds while you make sound. A tiny camera is attached to the end of a rigid endoscope and will look over the back of your tongue (similar to a periscope) onto the vocal folds.

Because the vocal folds vibrate so rapidly, a strobe light is utilized to simulate a slow motion of the vibrating vocal folds. This is captured onto a videotape or DVD and then reviewed with the patient at the end of the examination. By watching the vocal fold vibration, the examiner is able to check for stiffness, irregularity of movement, inappropriate closure, and other disorders related to the motion of the vocal folds.

This non-invasive, painless technology provides the voice pathologist and the physician with outstanding views of the larynx and the vibrating vocal folds. There is no preparation for this testing procedure.