Second Opinion and Remote Case Review
Not every question needs a visit. Sometimes a patient wants an independent opinion before agreeing to surgery, or a colleague wants a view on a difficult case. An online consultation or a review of your records is the sensible first step before committing to travel.
For patients
If you have been told you need voice or swallowing surgery and want an independent view before deciding, you can ask for one. Send your reports, imaging, and any recordings of a previous examination. We will review them, examine you if you come in person, and tell you what we would advise and why.
We will not comment on the competence of the clinician you saw. We will give you our own reading and our reasoning, so that you can make a decision with two informed views rather than one. Sometimes our advice will be that the plan you were given is sound.
For physicians
If you have a case you would like to discuss, send us the clinical summary and any endoscopy or stroboscopy recordings, imaging, and reports. We will give you our reading of the findings and our view on the options, including when our view is that no intervention is needed or that the plan you already have is the right one.
This is a consultation between colleagues, not a transfer of care. The patient stays with you unless you and they decide otherwise. If the case would be better managed here, we will say so plainly, and equally we will say when it would not.
What it is, and what it is not
An online consultation lets us take a full history, look at any reports, imaging, or endoscopy recordings you already have, and give you an informed opinion and a provisional plan. It cannot replace a physical examination. Voice and swallowing problems usually need endoscopy to diagnose properly, and that has to happen in person. So the online consultation is for orientation and planning, not a final diagnosis or a substitute for examination.
How it works
- Request a review. Use the form on this page, or contact us by email or phone.
- Send your records in advance. Prior reports, imaging, and any previous endoscopy or stroboscopy recordings. The more we can review beforehand, the more useful the appointment is.
- The consultation. A video appointment on Zoom or Google Meet, lasting around twenty minutes, held in English.
- The outcome. Our provisional assessment, the likely options, and an honest view on whether an in-person visit is worthwhile.
Online consultations are charged. The fee is confirmed when you book, before the appointment is scheduled.
What to send
A clinical summary or your previous reports, any imaging, and, most usefully, video of a previous laryngeal examination. Voice and swallowing problems are visual: a recording of the vocal folds in motion tells us far more than a written description. If no recording exists, an in-person examination will be needed for a full opinion.
Who it suits
Patients considering travel to the institute, patients unsure whether their problem is one we treat, patients who want a second opinion before deciding on treatment elsewhere, and physicians who want a view on a complex case such as vocal fold paralysis.
Request a review
We reply by email with available times and the fee, before anything is scheduled.
Files up to 25 MB each: PDF, images, documents, or short video of a previous examination. Larger recordings can be shared by link after we reply.
Frequently asked questions
Can a voice problem be diagnosed online?
Not fully. Voice and swallowing problems usually need endoscopy to diagnose properly, and that has to happen in person. A remote review gives an informed opinion and a provisional plan, not a final diagnosis.
How long does an online consultation take?
Around twenty minutes, held on Zoom or Google Meet, in English.
Is the online consultation free?
No, it is charged. The fee is confirmed when you book, before the appointment is scheduled.
What should I send before the appointment?
Prior reports, imaging, and any previous endoscopy or stroboscopy recordings. The more we can review beforehand, the more useful the appointment is.
Will you comment on my previous doctor?
No. We give our own reading of the findings and our reasoning, so that you can decide with two informed views rather than one. Sometimes our advice will be that the plan you were given is sound.