The Therapeutic Use of Botulinum Toxin Injections for Conditions Affecting the Head and Neck

Abstract

Botulinum toxin has been used for the past few decades to treat conditions in the head and neck. In recent years, its use is expanding. This article presents a summary of the wide range of uses in the laryngeal, pharyngeal, cervical, oromandibular and facial muscles. As well as the uses discussed in this article, botulinum toxin has also been used more recently for a newly recognized condition: retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction. The condition and its treatment are discussed. Botulinum toxin is a safe and generally successful treatment for spasmodic dysphonia, Meige syndrome and oromandibular and cervical dystonia; neurological conditions, such as multiple system atrophy and migraine; and finally the oropharynx, post-laryngectomy, cricopharyngeal dysphagia, Zenker’s diverticulum and retrograde cricopharyngeal dysfunction disorder.