Active clinical trials for "Hoarseness"

Following a thyroidectomy, voice and swallowing alterations, which more frequently would appear to be caused by lesions of the laryngeal nerve, may occur. But, voice and swallowing changes can also occur in the absence of lesions of the inferior laryngeal nerve or the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, defining a condition called central compartment syndrome or functional post-thyroidectomy syndrome. It has been demonstrated that, in the presence of the aforementioned syndrome, the quality of the voice undergoes a deterioration immediately after thyroidectomy surgery with a lowering of pitch. The purpose of this study will be to verify the effects of early speech therapy, including pre-operative speech therapy counseling (during which the patient will be provided with indications to be implemented in the immediate post-operative period).

This study aims to identify adjuvant methods to improve patient comfort during in-office laryngology procedures.

This study is to assess the efficacy of intraoperative intravenous nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (ketorolac) versus intravenous (dexamethosone) administration on dysphagia and dysphonia after ACDF.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of pyridostigmine (Mestinon) on patient vocal outcomes after undergoing laryngeal botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) injections, which is a standard treatment for spasmodic dysphonia. Pyridostigmine (Mestinon) has been used for treatment of BoNT overdose, and it is our hope that it will be beneficial in the management of post BoNT breathy phase.

This proof-of-concept study is designed to evaluate whether a pedagogic technique used to help performers, known as the Complete Vocal Technique (CVT), can be used to help patients with a type of voice disorder known as Muscle Tension Dysphonia (MTD). MTD is responsible for up to 40% of patients presenting with voice and throat complaints. MTD is due to inefficient or ineffective voice production resulting from an imbalance in the control of the breathing mechanism, and uncontrolled constriction of the muscles in the larynx (voice box) or vocal tract (throat space above the vocal cords). Standard treatment is Voice Therapy delivered by a specialist Speech Therapist (SLT-V) often using a video link (telepractice aka telehealth). CVT is widely used in Europe by singers and vocal coaches. Practitioners (CVT- Ps) undergo a three-year accredited training programme, and the systematic and structured approach helps healthy singers and other performers optimise the function of the voice to produce any sound required. It also helps if the performer has vocal problems, which are also mainly due to uncontrolled throat constrictions. The purpose of this pilot study is to see if the CVT voice therapy approach (CVT-VT) can help, and offers advantages, to standard SLT-V methods in the treatment of patients with MTD. Ten adult patients will be recruited from the Voice clinic at Nottingham University Hospital. Participants will have a multidimensional assessment using questionnaires, and voice recordings and then receive up to 6 video sessions of CVT-VT delivered using a video link by a CVT-P. The participants will then be reviewed back in clinic at 8 weeks and be reassessed, using further questionnaires and analysis of the voice pre- and post-therapy recordings, to evaluate the outcome of this treatment approach. Qualitative methodology will determine whether CVT-VT offers any therapeutic advantages to existing SLT-VT treatment methods.

Primary muscle tension dysphonia is a voice disorder that involves excessive and poorly coordinated muscle activity affecting multiple subsystems that are involved in speech production, in the absence of structural or neurologic abnormalities of the larynx. Primary muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) is one of the most common forms of voice disorders, accounting for at least 40% of patients seen in voice clinics. Perceptually the voice sounds hoarse and strained, with reduced loudness and pitch range, and people with MTD find speaking very effortful and fatiguing. The physiological abnormalities that characterize MTD are considered multifactorial, and include over-activity of muscles in and around the larynx, laryngeal constriction patterns, and abnormal speech breathing patterns. However, standard treatment approaches for MTD primarily address laryngeal function, including repositioning of laryngeal structures, reducing activity in the intrinsic and extrinsic laryngeal muscles, and altering vibratory patterns. Although voice improvement may follow these treatments, many people with MTD show recurrence of voice problems after only a few months, and some do not improve with treatment. These findings highlight the need for alternative treatments that address the respiratory contributions to MTD, which directly affect the phonatory system. The goal of this project is to compare the effects of two respiratory-based training conditions in people with MTD. A randomized group design will be implemented to determine the respiratory and acoustic effects of each condition. We will determine the effects of each condition immediately after and then 3 and 6 months after training completion to assess short- and long-term training effects. We propose that respiratory training will have a positive effect on related laryngeal behavior and voice. The proposed project has the potential to substantially advance the evidence-based treatment options for MTD, providing a vital step toward reducing the debilitating effects of this disorder.

The first objective of this research project is to compare the occurrence and frequency of symptoms and/or disorders related to autonomic dysfunction in patients with functional dysphonia with gender- and age-matched vocally healthy controls, using a case-control study. The second objective is to compare the effects of a novel therapy based on autonomic nervous system regulation (i.e., ANS therapy: heart rate variability biofeedback), for functional dysphonia versus coventional voice therapy (CVT) alone or in combination with ANS regulation therapy (i.e., ANS therapy + CVT), using a longitudinal randomized controlled trial (RCT).

The purpose of this study is to pilot test a version of the intervention that has been tailored for participants with dysphonia. The study seeks to determine if the adapted intervention: a) increases perceived control over voice-related stressors and b) decreases stress and distress resulting from voice problems. The study will also explore the usability and acceptability of the program. The goal is to help people with voice problems achieve better voice and quality of life outcomes.

One of the major risks of endocrine surgery is recurrent nerve palsy (RNP), leading to vocal folds (VF) immobility. It happens in 5% of cases, leading to high morbidity: dysphonia, aspirations, impossibility to work. Guidelines recommend to systematically perform a nasofibroscopy before and after surgery to check vocal fold mobility. However, due to the decreasing number of specialists, the cost of decontamination, and discomfort of this procedure, these guidelines are insufficiently followed. Transcutaneous Laryngeal Ultrasonography (TLU) appears a good alternative to nasofibroscopy in evaluating VF mobility, as assessed by the recent flourishing literature. Our team is a leader in this research by having developed a dedicated software, which provides objective measures of VF mobility. The aim of the present protocol is to validate the power of TLU for the diagnosis of RNP on a large cohort of patients operated on endocrine surgery. It is a prospective multicentric study that will blindly compare TLU and nasofibroscopy, the latter being the gold standard. TLU is cost effective and painless; its learning curve is fast. If validated, it may be offered as a good alternative to nasofibroscopy in RNP detection and prognosis.

One initial study has shown that Botulinum Toxin (BT) in combination with zinc supplementation may increase the duration of effects BT treatment. This initial study was in the context of facial aesthetics. The purpose of the present study is to determine the effect, if any, of oral zinc supplementation prior to BT in the treatment of spasmodic dysphonia. If positive effects will be observed, this would help reduce the burden of disease for these patients.