Dr. Liza Viscovich

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Dr. Liza Karina Viscovich is a head and neck surgeon who performs a full spectrum of ear, nose, and throat procedures at the Head and Neck Clinical Center and at the top-rated hospitals in Guatemala City. From management of skull base defects and temporal bone microsurgery to correction of swallowing, hearing, or balance disorders, Dr. Viscovich draws on her extensive experience and training to provide life changing solutions for patients in Guatemala.

The surgical placement of cochlear implants is a specialty which she has performed over one hundred times, to allow people with profound hearing loss to join in the conversation and interact verbally with loved ones, sometimes for the first time in their lives. For patients with sensorineural hearing loss, Dr. Viscovich studies diagnostic images of the inner ear and auditory nerve, as well as several types of audiological assessments to determine if the implants would give them the most successful outcome. Preoperative evaluation and thorough counselling of candidates are crucial to ensure realistic expectations.

Since the 1980’s, when multi-channel systems started showing a major impact on hearing performance, cochlear implantation has become the gold-standard treatment for profound hearing loss and deafness. Forty years later, around 800,000 of them have been implanted worldwide. The cochlear implants Dr. Viscovich chooses are among the best, manufactured in Australia, Austria, and Switzerland.

The procedure is standardized and safe, usually lasting two hours. Follow up attention is provided by the internationally accredited audiologists at CEDAF in Guatemala City.

The doctor says, “I’ve been working as an ENT specialist in private medical centers in Spain and Guatemala since 2008, and what I like best about Cabeza y Cuello is the superior quality of the inter-disciplinary team here. We are always working together as a as a cohesive group focused on the benefits we can provide for each patient.”

As an expert in treating people who cannot swallow properly, Dr. Viscovich uses the FEES method – Fiberoptic endoscopy to evaluate swallowing disorders. During the exam, a flexible endoscope outfitted with a light source and camera is gently passed through the nose to display and record a high-definition view of different parts of your throat as you swallow. Swallowing and respiration require a series of movements from the muscles in these areas, so the doctor will review the anatomy of muscle coordination to identify dysphagia, or abnormalities, to the normally smooth and natural action. A small tissue sample, or biopsy, could be taken to investigate further.

For youngsters or elderly patients who might be nervous about the testing process and the outcome, Dr. Viscovich is especially attentive to their anxiety and goes the extra mile to explain everything clearly and calmly. Identifying their concerns and inviting patients to communicate effectively, and then participate in the treatment process is most important to the doctor.

Dr. Liza Viscovich has the skills and talent to provide her patients with a renewed ability to hear, eat and breathe without limits or disruption. Dra. Liza says. “I’m grateful for the privilege to be able to change lives for the better. After careful analysis and successful treatment, my patients can carry on with normal activities that most people take for granted every day.”