Hoarseness and voice problems

Dysphonia (impaired vocal function), is a very common complaint affecting approximately one third of the population at some point in life.

Clinical content by the surgeons of Sydney ENT Clinic · Updated October 2026

Dysphonia can affect patients of all ages and sex but has an increased prevalence in teachers, older adults, and other persons with significant vocal demands. Dysphonia is often caused by benign or self limited conditions. It may sometimes be the cause of a more serious condition requiring prompt diagnosis and management.

Hoarseness and voice problems — clinical image 1

Who need to be referred onto an ENT Surgeon for review?

Anyone who has had persistent change in voice for more than 3 months should be referred on for review of their voice box.

How do we check to see if everything is ok?

At the time of the consultation a procedure called a fibreoptic examination of the voice box is performed. During this a small tube with a camera on the end goes through the nose to enable us to then have a look down at the voice box. Sometimes, if there are concerns about what is seen on this examination a further examination under a general anaesthetic is then required at a later date.

Tested at Kogarah on the day

Nasendoscopy is performed in the rooms, speech pathology with Trudy Lynch is available in Suite 5, and ultrasound, CT or MRI of the neck can be arranged at Lumus or Castlereagh Imaging within a few hundred metres of the clinic.