Division of Laryngology, Voice and Swallowing Disorders
Boris L. Bentsianov, MD, Chief
Sara Abu-Ghanem, MD
The Division of Laryngology has been providing our patients with the latest and most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic modalities for the care of voice and swallowing pathology. Office procedures include videostroboscopy, laryngeal EMG and EMG guided injection, endoscopic swallowing evaluation, as well as percutaneous medialization thyroplasty and awake, in- office, laryngeal biopsy techniques. The practice has expanded over the last 18 years to meet the growing demand for high quality voice and laryngeal care throughout the community and borough with referral for tertiary care from a catchment area including Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. The division also includes a laryngology clinic in collaboration with the residency program, in which resident physicians, and their patients, also benefit from the full complement of laryngology instruments and procedures. The clinic allows all patients access to the highest level of laryngologic care, and allows the residents an exciting opportunity to learn and contribute in a hands on fashion. This year the Division is further growing with the addition of a new full time Laryngologist Dr Sara Abu-Ghanem, who will be spending time at the SUNY Downstate campus, Kings County Medical Center, NY Methodist Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center. This will further expand coverage for laryngology subspecialty care at all of our training sites.
The Division of Laryngology, Voice and Swallowing Disorders is also excited to deliver services at our new practice site in Park Slope, Brooklyn. This effort includes coverage of the laryngology work at New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist hospital. This location and our new ambulatory surgical site in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn has further expanded our surgical capabilities and our relationships throughout the borough.
The division is further enhanced by its affiliation with Maimonides Medical center where we have a full operating room session and resident coverage. The division is also active within the grand rounds curriculum for resident education and continuing medical education for our faculty, as well as the resident basic science course.
The Division of Laryngology has also been greatly benefited by its interaction with the Communicative Disorders Group at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital were we have collaborated with their voice trained speech and language pathologists for non-invasive therapeutic techniques for care of professional voice performers, patients with high vocal demand and neurolaryngology patients. This unique access to subspecialty voice trained speech pathologists has dramatically improved patient compliance and therapy results. The program has also allowed us to build our relationship with the Parkinsons program at SUNY Downstate and deliver the highest level of LSVT trained therapy to this challenging population. This aspect of our Division also has facilitated the care of post laryngectomy patients by providing this patient group with a host of rehabilitative options from esophageal speech teaching, to TEP care and counseling.
As always, our goal is continued growth, and to expand our current scope of care providing the highest level of laryngologic care to our patients and our community.