Spastic Dysphonia Diagnosis
Spastic Dysphonia
Spastic Dysphonia is a psychological disorder similar to stuttering which affects the approximation of the vocal cords. Approximation refers to the degree of closure between the vocal cords. This vocal problem falls under the category of hyperfunction, which involves the patient using too much effort while singing or speaking. Normal vocal cord approximation involves the vocal cords coming close together during phonation.
The vocal cords of a patient with spastic dysphonia come far too close together during phonation, resulting in a strained, hoarse sound, a lot like a person speaking when attempting to lift a very heavy box.
Diagnosis:
Spastic dysphonia is thought to have more than one cause. A range of mental disorders, from emotional trauma to brain injury, have been known to result in spastic dysphonia. Spastic dysphonia is also characteristic in patients who have been diagnosed with an essential tremor of laryngeal muscles. Still others believe that spastic dysphonia can be caused by a number of nervous system or peripheral nervous system pathologies.
Whatever the case, the diagnosis of spastic dysphonia typically requires a speech pathologist, a neurologist, and an otolaryngologist. The speech pathologist examines voice production and voice quality, the naurologist evaluates possible neurological conditions that may cause spastic dysphonia using brain scans, and an otolaryngologist examines vocal cord movements using fiberoptic nasolaryngoscopy.
Most often, however, a psychologist will be able to diagnose spastic dysphonia. This disorder often presents with the patient being able to speak normally to a pet, a baby, or when alone. It is when the listener causes the speaker to feel nervous that spastic dysphonia occurs. When a psychologist discovers this information about the patient, the diagnosis is fairly clear.
