Voice therapy and assistive techniques in voice disorders caused by unilateral vocal cord pareses

Abstract

Dysphonias due to primary neurogenic disorders are a group of voice disorders that can be caused by both central and peripheral disorders of the larynx innervation. There are numerous causes leading to paralysis of superior and/or inferior laryngeal nerves, particularly of the inferior laryngeal or recurrent nerve. VOICE THERAPY IN UNILATERAL VOCAL CORD PARESIS: Vocal therapy is an integral part of the conservative treatment. Specific methods are applied to individual vocal problems, while the non-specific ones are applied to a number of dysphonias. Non-specific methods are further divided into integrated and focused vocal methods. Integrated methods treat the voice and speech disorders as a unified entity of all quality and segments of voice and speech. Focused non-specific methods treat the segments and the quality of voice and speech individually. ASSISTIVE TECHNIQUES IN VOICE DISORDERS CAUSED BY UNILATERAL VOCAL CORD PARESIS: Digital compression of the larynx by Seeman includes the treatment of voice with compression of the thyroid cartilage, thus moving the paralyzed and healthy vocal cord medially and upwards, and medially and downwards, respectively. This leads to the proper occlusion of vocal cords because in these conditions the paralyzed vocal cord is lower than the healthy one. According to the theoretical assumption, when the head anc neck are rotated to one or the other side, the anatomic relations in the neck are change and thus the vocal cords are brought into contact with the resulting reduction of the gap between them and the reduced air flow. Studies assessing the efficiency of different methods of vocal therapy are scarce bearing in mind the importance of vocal therapy and the fact that many patients refuse surgical treatment. Research on the efficiency of assistive techniques in phoniatric rehabilitation of patients with unilateral vocal cord paresis yields conflicting results. However, assistive techniques are useful practical methods in vocal rehabilitation of these patients.