ASSESSING THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF BOTULINUM TOXIN ON SPASMODIC DYSPHONIA PATIENTS: This research describes proposed study that will assess the long term effects of the drug botulinum toxin on spasmodic dysphonia patients. Background information on spasmodic dysphonia and a review of prior research are presented in this introduction to the proposed study. Methods and procedures that will be employed in the conduct of the proposed study are described and explained in a discussion of the proposed research methodology.
Background Information on Spasmodic Dysphonia
Speech production refers to the fluency of articulation of speech and voice volume (Stathopoulos and Sapienza, 1993, pp. 64 75). Disturbance of these factors lead to phenomena that are often incorrectly diagnosed as psychogenic in character when in fact they are neurologic in character. Among these phenomena are stuttering, patilalia, cluttering, dysarthia, dysphonia, and mutism.
Dysphonia is an impairment or loss of voice volume (Sataloff, Spiegel, and Hawkshaw, 1993, pp. 551 570). The disturbance in phonation may be due local diseases affecting the respiratory system or vocal chords, or the disturbance may be a manifestation of a neurological disease affecting the speech musculature or its innervation.
Spasmodic dysphonia is a specific and odd phenomenon that is due to a contraction of the speech musculature (Sataloff, 1992, pp. 843 855). A person afflicted with spasmo
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