Initially described by Dr. Bastian (and his first R-CPD patient, on Reddit: no-burp https://www.reddit.com/r/noburp/), inability to belch can cause the severe symptoms of socially-awkward gurgling noises, bloating, and excessive flatulence, etc.  BVI clinicians Bastian and Smithson (Wingo) published a report of the first 51 such patients, all treated successfully with Botox injection into the upper esophageal sphincter.  (See https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2473974X19834553)  Drs. Bastian and Hoesli have now published the first known report of a surgical solution to this problem:  cricopharyngeus myotomy.  For more information, see https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2473974X20917644.

The Bastian Voice Institute remains open during the shelter at home order.  We are open to seeing patients with urgent need in-person here at the office.  We also offer telehealth visits for those patients who would prefer to speak to a clinician remotely.  Feel free to call the office 630-724-1100 to schedule an appointment.

We would like to welcome Melissa Wingo, MS, PA-C to the Bastian Voice Institute family as our new Physician’s Assistant! Melissa will be assisting both Dr. Bastian and Dr. Richardson, and we are so excited to have her as a part of our team.

In June 2017, Dr. Bastian spoke at a Chicago Master Singers event in Palatine, IL on “How To Protect Your Vocal Health.” Drawing from his experience both in music and in the otolaryngology field, he provided an overview of the anatomy of the voice and vibratory mechanics of the vocal cords and then explained what can go wrong especially in persons who are using their voices extensively, and how to detect and respond to injury when it is early and easily-reversible.

This coming Friday, May 22nd, Mary Spremulli will be hosting a live podcast at 12pm (EST) discussing spasmodic dysphonia. Her guests will include Kim Kuman Executive Director of National SD Association, Charlie Reavis, president NSDA, James Anderson, co-facilitator Tampa Bay support group, and Connie Pike, SLP. Come with open ears and prepared questions as you will be able to ask or email the guests questions! For more detailed information click here.

Bastian Voice Institute physician Dr. Robert Bastian co-authored a study published this month, “The use of neuralgia medications to treat sensory neuropathic cough.” The paper, which was published in the open-access journal PeerJ, reports a series of 32 consecutive patients newly diagnosed with sensory neuropathic cough who were treated with one or more of the medications amitriptyline, desipramine, and gabapentin.

To learn more about sensory neuropathic cough, see our learning website’s encyclopedia entry, complete with teaching videos.

Bastian Voice Institute physician Dr. Robert Bastian presented a lecture at a conference focused on the science and clinical aspects of neurotoxins like botulinum. The conference was held January 14–17, 2015, in Lisbon, Portugal.

Dr. Bastian presented on the subject of vocal tremor, explaining how spasmodic dysphonia often includes a component of tremor (i.e., dystonic tremor) which should not be confused with other types of tremor, like essential tremor or enhanced physiological tremor. To learn more about this topic, see our educational website’s entry on dystonic tremor of the voice or larynx.

Bastian Voice Institute physician Dr. Robert Bastian is featured as an interview subject in the January 2015 issue of Classical Singer magazine. The article, entitled “Vocal Surgery, Myths, and More,” highlights Dr. Bastian’s experience and insights regarding vocal fold microsurgery for singers. Click here to read the interview. (The full article is made available here with permission from Classical Singer.)

Of related interest, a few photo examples of vocal nodules—before and after surgical removal—can be seen in our educational website’s vocal nodules photo gallery. Also check out our informational video about the occurrence and treatment of vocal fold injuries.