Roadmap to the Pathway – What It Is and What It Is Not

This Voice Disorder Symptom Tree for Patients is an organizational tool for classifying representative voice symptoms so patients can realize their voice issues are not to be ignored or just "something to live with" but that seeking voice care is important, if not imperative.

• Focus on Voice Disorders

  The focus is on voice disorders. A perspective is also given for throat pain and the role of the larynx in providing an airway for breathing.

• Developed by Voice Care Physicians

  The Symptom Tree is based on a parallel framework that voice care physicians use in their diagnostic work-up of voice disorders.

• Not a Medical Algorithm

  The Symptom Tree for Patients is not an algorithm for diagnosis or intervention.

• Focus Is on Main Roads – Not on Multiple Connections and Intersections

  Because of complexity, multifactorial voice disorders are not directly addressed as a separate category. Nevertheless, the Symptom Tree does provide a glimpse of multifactorial voice disorders.

As a roadmap of commonly reported symptoms for voice disorders, patients can recognize when their voice complaints might belong to typical symptom clusters of voice disorders, thus motivating them to seek medical care and work with their physicians to achieve optimal care.

Informed patients make for better patient-physician partnerships – a key element in successful voice care.

Anatomy & Physiology of Voice Production To learn more about the anatomy of the area that produces your voice, read Anatomy & Physiology of Voice Production.	Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention For information on tests and procedures commonly used for diagnosis and treatment, go to Overview of Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention.
Symptom Tree Use the Symptom Tree to learn about symptoms of voice disorders and/or to triage possible voice disorders based on symptoms.	Personal Experiences To hear actual narratives from people with a voice condition, go to Personal Experiences.

Pathway to the Symptom Tree
Red Flag Any and all airway problems require immediate attention. Patients should consult with their physicians to determine the appropriate course of medical treatment in their specific circumstanc Advisory Note Patient education material presented here does not substitute for medical consultation or examination, nor is this material intended to provide advice on the medical treatment appropriate to any specific circumstances. All use of this site indicates acceptance of our Terms of Service.