What is the service for swallowing disruptions?
The service for swallowing disruptions acts within the ENT unit and the institute for hearing and speech. The clinic has a multidisciplinary team that includes a doctor and a speech therapist with training and experience in treating and rehabilitating patients suffering from swallowing disruptions. The swallowing process is complex. For the swallowing to occur properly, there is a need of a proper structure of the larynx, a proper feeling in the mouth, the larynx and the throat and complete coordination between the swallowing muscles.
How is the test performed?
Difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia) has substantial outcomes on the patients’ lives. A dysphagia not treated properly may induce malnutrition and dehydration and sometimes even life-threatening strangulation. Beyond the physical consequences, dysphagia has an emotional implication on the patient, who loses the “taste of life”, does not enjoy the meals and the social atmosphere that accompanies them, for instance, in family meals on Saturdays and holidays.
How is the test performed?
The patients in the swallowing disruptions service are diagnosed using a detailed interview, a physical exam and a Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) during which it is possible to match exercises and methods to improve swallowing. At the end of the visit, you receive a detailed summary including all the test findings and recommendations of treatment and follow up.
What does our service offer?
- Swallowing rehabilitation treatments with a speech therapist
- Surgeries to improve swallowing, such as medialization of a mute vocal cord, ZENKER procedure, expansion of the larynx etc.
Why is our service unique?
The tight cooperation between the ENT medicine and the speech therapists, while providing personal service, enables the exact diagnosis and the matching of the treatment and rehabilitation to fit each patient.
Who is the service designated for?
The service suits a wide variety of people with swallowing disruptions for many reasons:
- Strokes
- Nerve system diseases such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis etc.
- Muscle diseases
- Old age and dementia
- Following prolonged admittance or intubation or tracheostomy
- Following surgeries or radiations to the head and neck.
What should you bring to your visit?
- A referral letter from your doctor / ENT doctor / speech therapist / other
- Updated list of medications
- Any medical exam conducted to clarify the swallowing disruptions (upper gastrointestinal series, gastroscopy, etc.)
- Blood works conducted in your HMO (up to 3 months) including lipid profile, thyroid functions and protein and albumin levels in blood.
- Obligation forms to the clinic (two 17 forms: one for ENT doctor examination, code 70022 for Clalit members or 99242 for other HMOs, and the other for a speech therapist, 64580 for Clalit members or 92526 for other HMOs).
