Active clinical trials for "Dysphonia"

This research involves retrospective and prospective studies for clinical validation of a DystoniaNet deep learning platform for the diagnosis of isolated dystonia.

The purpose of the study is to test a novel endotracheal tube support device that reduces pressure of the tube on the voice box for prevention of post intubation laryngeal symptoms including sore throat, change in voice and trouble swallowing.

The long-term goal is to transform the diagnosis and treatment of dysphonia by elucidating cervical and cranial neuromuscular mechanisms underlying typical and disordered voicing. The overall objective of this application is to propose and evaluate a novel objective spectrotemporal diagnostic tool measuring functional cervical-cranial muscle network activity in typical and disordered speakers.The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of how the vocal tract and the muscles of the larynx and the head work at baseline and after vocal fatigue.

Vocal hyperfunction (VH) is the most commonly treated class of voice disorders by speech-language pathologists and voice therapy is the primary curative treatment. Patients and clinicians report that generalizing improved voicing into daily life is the most significant barrier to successful therapy. We will test if extending biofeedback into the patient's daily life using ambulatory voice monitoring will significantly improve generalization during therapy and if individual patient factors, like how easily they can modify their voice and engagement during therapy, moderate the effects of the biofeedback.

we will assess dysphonic children as regard presence of behavioral abnormalities and then receive voice therapy

The researchers will systematically evaluate current and novel clinical voice assessment tools and measures to elucidate distinct clinical phenotypes of those with laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor.

This is a web-based study that involves monitoring hallmark symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (PD), specifically dysphonia and tremor, using smartphone sensor data. The entire length of the study will only take 5 minutes, so volunteers will not have to repeatedly contribute data. The study is made up of 5 short, 10-second long activities, which include sustaining the short a vowel sound to monitor changes in vocal fundamental frequency and holding a smartphone in different positions on either side of the body to measure changes in amplitude. To be a part of this study, volunteers must have an iPhone that is running on the software iOS 13 or higher, because they will be asked to download a smartphone application from an online App Store.

Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD) is a focal, action-specific movement disorder with prominent effects on speech (1, 2). Patients with SD lose their ability to speak normally due to involuntary contractions of their laryngeal muscles. As a result, SD tremendously affects an individual's quality of life by limiting their ability to communicate effectively. The current standard of care for SD involves botulinum toxin (BTX) injections into the laryngeal muscles. BTX causes a weakness in the injected muscles thereby lessening the spasms (3). The primary neurological problem is not changed but weakening the muscles temporarily diminishes the symptoms. However, BTX therapy is associated with several limitations (3, 4). First, the clinical effect produced by BTX is temporary and repeated injections are required approximately every 3 months. Second, there is a delay in the onset of benefits provided by BTX injections; this delay results in a sinusoidal symptom curve where SD is optimally controlled for only a portion of each treatment cycle and patients' spasms return prior to the next injection cycle. Furthermore, the injections can be very painful and some patients develop antibodies to BTX (3, 4). Oral medications used in dystonia, such as anticholinergics, benzodiazepines, and baclofen, provide minimal relief and have numerous side effects at the doses required to influence a patient's voice. Thus, on basis of these limitations, we set out to explore new and innovative strategies to treat SD and provide patients with long-term benefit. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical procedure that involves the implantation of electrodes to deliver electrical stimuli to specific brain regions. It is the gold-standard surgical treatment for other movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and generalized dystonia. During a DBS procedure, an electrode is inserted very precisely into the brain and is linked to a pacemaker implanted under the skin of the chest or abdominal wall. When the pacemaker is switched on, a very small electric current passes into the brain, blocking the damaging signals that cause the condition.

Evaluate voice and swallowing outcomes post operatively.

The general aim of the research is to provide scientific evidence that vibro-tactile stimulation (VTS) represents a non-invasive form of neuromodulation that can induce measurable improvements in the speech of patients with laryngeal dystonia (LD) - also called spasmodic dysphonia (SD).