Throat Conditions & Treatment
A hoarse voice that will not clear, tonsils that keep flaring up, or a throat that feels tight when swallowing are common reasons patients visit an ENT surgeon. Dr Mzoto assesses throat-related conditions for both adults and children in Benoni, working through the voice box, tonsils and throat to find the cause.
What Throat Conditions Does Dr Mzoto See?
Throat symptoms can come from several structures working together, including the tonsils, adenoids, larynx and pharynx. Conditions seen regularly include:
- Tonsillitis and enlarged tonsils
- Adenoid problems
- Hoarseness and other voice disorders
- Swallowing disorders
- Snoring and sleep apnoea
- Laryngitis
- Chronic cough
When Does A Throat Symptom Need Attention?
A sore throat that clears up within a week or two is usually nothing to worry about. Hoarseness lasting more than a few weeks, particularly without an obvious cause such as a cold, is worth having checked, and the same applies to snoring loud enough to disturb sleep, difficulty swallowing, or tonsillitis that keeps recurring. In children, recurring tonsillitis often overlaps with conditions covered under Children's ENT care.
An Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeon is well placed to distinguish between a simple throat infection and something needing further investigation, such as a growth on the vocal cords or an underlying swallowing disorder.
What Happens During A Throat Assessment?
A throat examination often includes a laryngoscopy, where a small camera is used to view the voice box and surrounding structures directly. This is usually done in-room under local anaesthetic spray and gives a clear view of the vocal cords, throat lining and tonsils.
Where sleep-related symptoms are the concern, a sleep apnoea assessment may be arranged to establish how significant the problem is and whether snoring is linked to pauses in breathing during sleep. The findings from this assessment guide whether further investigation, such as a sleep study, is needed before deciding on treatment.
What Does Throat Treatment Involve?
Some throat conditions settle with medication or simple lifestyle adjustments, such as changes to sleeping position for mild snoring. Others need a surgical solution. Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy remain common and effective procedures for recurrent tonsillitis or adenoid-related problems, and both are performed at Netcare Linmed Hospital.
Voice and swallowing disorders are investigated thoroughly before a treatment plan is agreed, since the right approach depends heavily on the underlying cause, which may involve speech therapy input alongside medical or surgical treatment.
What Can You Expect?
Recovery after tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy typically involves a short period of discomfort and around a week or two away from school or work, with full recovery following over the weeks after. Voice and swallowing treatment tends to progress more gradually, with review appointments used to track improvement. Dr Mzoto explains what a specific procedure involves, including aftercare, well before the day of surgery.
How Should You Prepare For A Throat Consultation?
It helps to think through the following before your appointment:
- How long the voice change, snoring or swallowing difficulty has been present
- Whether the symptom is constant or comes and goes, and any pattern you have noticed
- Any effect on eating, drinking or sleep, and whether a partner or parent has noticed pauses in breathing during sleep
- Whether you smoke or have a history of reflux, since both can affect the throat
Will My Voice Change After Throat Surgery?
This depends entirely on what the surgery involves. A tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy does not typically affect the voice, though the throat can feel different for a short time while it heals. Procedures involving the vocal cords themselves are approached more cautiously, with the specific effect on voice discussed in detail beforehand, since this varies from one case to another.
Book a consultation at our ENT practice in Benoni if a throat symptom has been going on longer than expected.