Second Opinion — Swallowing Disorders & Dysphagia
Second Opinion for Swallowing Disorders & Dysphagia
For patients and parents worried about swallowing difficulty, aspiration, feeding problems after cancer treatment, unexplained weight loss or recurrent pneumonia — a focused review of your FEES, videofluoroscopy and imaging by a surgeon with dedicated swallowing expertise.
MCh Head & NeckEuropean Board FEB (ORL-HNS)Dedicated swallowing disorders clinicTrained in FEES & cricopharyngeal procedures40 peer-reviewed publications
When a second opinion matters most
- You or your child has been having trouble swallowing and local teams haven't been able to pinpoint the cause
- You have dysphagia after head and neck cancer treatment (surgery, radiation, chemoradiation) and want to know what can still be done
- You've been told you need a feeding tube (PEG) and want to know if swallowing rehabilitation could restore oral intake
- You have recurrent aspiration pneumonia and your local team is unsure whether it's swallowing, reflux, or something else
- You have a Zenker's diverticulum or cricopharyngeal bar and want to discuss endoscopic versus open management
- Your child has a paediatric feeding disorder, failure to thrive, or aspiration on feeds
- You've been told 'nothing more can be done' and want a second look before accepting lifelong tube feeding
What Dr. Vidhyadharan will review
- FEES (Fibre-optic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing) recordings if available
- Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS / Modified Barium Swallow) reports and videos
- Manometry or impedance studies (if done)
- CT or MRI of the neck and upper aerodigestive tract
- Prior operative notes, radiation plans, and speech-language pathology assessments
- Nutritional status, weight trends, and current diet textures
- For paediatric cases — growth charts, feeding history, and any genetic or neurological workup
What you'll receive
- A careful 30–45 minute video consultation focused on your swallowing problem
- A plain-language explanation of what's likely happening in your swallow — and what isn't
- A discussion of all reasonable options — swallowing therapy, dietary modification, injection, dilation, cricopharyngeal myotomy, feeding tube strategies
- Honest input on what realistic recovery looks like for your specific pattern
- Advice on which additional tests (FEES, manometry, repeat VFSS) may be worth requesting
- A written summary you can share with your local ENT, gastroenterologist or speech-language pathologist
- Guidance on whether swallowing evaluation or surgery at a high-volume centre in India is worth considering
A note from Dr. Vidhyadharan
“Swallowing problems are one of the most under-investigated and under-treated conditions in head and neck medicine. Families often travel across cities and countries before getting a proper diagnosis. A second opinion here is frequently less about changing a treatment plan and more about finally getting one — because many patients with dysphagia have never had a proper FEES or videofluoroscopy in the first place.”
— Dr. Vidhyadharan Sivakumar
What an international patient said
“Dr. Vidhyadharan offered detailed counselling and guidance over a video teleconference for my son Varun's dysphagia (swallowing) issue, with a demonstration through a model that gave excellent clarity. It provided a lot of confidence to us and helped us discuss the case with our doctor in the USA.”
Rajmohan Aiyaswamy
Dysphagia Consultation
Frequently asked questions
Paediatric dysphagia is complex — it can be anatomical (laryngeal cleft, vascular ring, tracheoesophageal fistula), neurological, behavioural, or sensory-based. A proper workup usually needs a paediatric FEES, videofluoroscopy and often an examination under anaesthesia. We'll review whatever investigations your child has had, help you understand what's missing, and discuss what should happen next. In some cases a video opinion is enough to point your local team in the right direction; in others we may recommend your child travel for in-person evaluation.