Division of Laryngology, Voice, Airway, and Swallowing Disorders

Boris L. Bentsianov, MD, Chief
Sara Abu-Ghanem, MD, MMedSc

The Division of Laryngology has been providing our patients with the latest and most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic modalities for the care of voice, airway, and swallowing disorders. These include benign and early malignant lesions of the larynx, narrowing of the larynx and upper trachea, and dysphagic patients.  In-office procedures include videostroboscopy, laryngeal EMG and EMG guided botox injection, tracheoscopy, endoscopic swallowing evaluation, as well as percutaneous injection laryngoplasty, pharyngeal/ laryngeal biopsies, trans-nasal esophagoscopy (TNE) and laser treatments. 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 the 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.

The division has further grown in 2019 with the addition of a full time Laryngologist, Dr Sara Abu-Ghanem who staffs our Maimonides Medical Center (main site) and the other sites. This has further expanded coverage for laryngology subspecialty care at all of our training sites and in our Brooklyn community.

The Division of Laryngology has also been greatly benefited by its interaction with the Speech Langaue Pathology Division at Maimonides and SUNY Downstate where we have collaborated with their voice and swallowing  trained speech and language pathologists for non-invasive diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for care of patients with high vocal demand, neurolaryngology, post laryngectomy and H&N cancer patients,  and patients with swallowing problems. This access has dramatically improved patient compliance and therapy results.

The division is active within the education of medical students at SUNY Downstate medical center. As students progress through their clinical years they can participate in our office hours and surgical block-time in either a 2 week surgical rotation or more advanced 4 week sub-internship designed to prepare students for a possible career in otolaryngology. The division is also active in grand rounds curriculum for resident education and continuing medical education for our faculty.

As always, our goal is continued growth, and to expand our current scope of care providing the highest level of laryngology care to our patients and our community.