SPRINGFIELD, IL. - The Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine and St. John's Hospital have opened a new center dedicated to the treatment of laryngeal and voice disorders. The SIU Voice Center at St. John's, which is the first of its kind in central Illinois, offers unique diagnostic tests and speech therapy to treat and manage voice disorders.

About 7.5 million people in the United States have trouble using their voices according to Dr. Gayle Woodson, who is director of the Voice Center and professor of otolaryngology head and neck surgery at the SIU School of Medicine. "Occasional temporary voice loss during a cold is extremely common," she says. "If you lose your voice frequently or have hoarseness lasting more than a couple of weeks, there could be a problem."

Patients to the Voice Center are seen by Woodson and a speech language pathologist with special training in voice disorders. The throat and larynx are carefully examined using a video camera. A strobe is often used, to provide a slow motion view of vocal cord vibration. Woodson says that treatment for a voice disorder may be as simple as several sessions with a speech therapist or might require surgery if polyps or nodules are found. "The most common problem is voice abuse," she says, "but we've found that acid reflux is involved in at least 30 percent of voice problems."

Actors, singers, politicians, broadcasters, attorneys and teachers are among those considered professional voice users, whose jobs may cause them to overuse or misuse their voices. Woodson says that occupational voice users "need to know how the voice works and what things are bad for their voices," she says, "including what medications to avoid when they are sick."

Woodson served a fellowship in laryngology at the Institute of Laryngology & Otology in London, England (1982). She completed her residency in otolaryngology at Baylor (1981) and her general surgery residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. (1978). Woodson received her medical degree from Baylor (1975) and her bachelor's from Rice University in Houston, Texas (1972).

Woodson is board certified in otolaryngology. She sits on the Council of the American Laryngological Association and is a past president of the Society of University Otolaryngologists.

The SIU Voice Center at St. John's is located on the fifth floor of St. John's Pavilion in Springfield. Patients may be referred by a physician or may refer themselves. For more information, call (217) 545-6099.

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