Active clinical trials for "Hoarseness"

The objectives of this study are to assess the safety of azficel-T treatment for dysphonia related to vocal fold function and to evaluate the efficacy of azficel-T for the treatment of dysphonia related to vocal fold function.

This study aimed to assess of efficacy of the kinesio-taping on male patients suffering from mutational falsetto

The purpose of this study is to assess subjects with muscle tension dysphonia for perceived effort and acoustic effects of gargle phonation compared to baseline and a sham water swallow.

This study will investigate and compare the air stream during voice production in patients with abductor spasmodic dysphonia and in normal volunteers. People with abductor spasmodic dysphonia have uncontrolled muscle spasms during speech, resulting in a weak voice. A better understanding of the abnormalities of this disorder may help in the development of more effective treatments. Healthy volunteers and patients with abductor spasmodic dysphonia may be eligible for this study. Candidates will have a physical examination and medical history. (Patients will be videotaped and voice-recorded during the medical interview for review by specialists who will identify the type and severity of their speech disorder.) All candidates will also undergo a procedure called flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy to record the movement of the vocal folds during speech, breathing and other tasks such as singing, whistling and prolonging vowels. For this test, the inside of the nose is sprayed with an anesthetic (lidocaine) to numb the nasal cavity and a decongestant (oxymetazoline) to widen the nasal passage. Then, a thin flexible tube called a nasolaryngoscope is passed through the nose to the larynx (voice box). A camera attached to the eyepiece of the nasolaryngoscope records the movements of the vocal folds. Participants will then have an airway interruption test to detect pressure changes in the voice box during production of continuous sounds. A nose clip is placed over the subject's nose and two sensor devices are placed on the neck to pick up changes in movement and position of the vocal cords during voicing. A mouthpiece is placed in the mouth, and subjects are asked to say "ah" continuously at a specified sound level. This voicing is repeated 33 times with periodic breaks. Patients only will also be given an injection of botulinum toxin. These injections are effective, in varying degrees, in about 60 percent of patients with abductor spasmodic dysphonia. This study will use a different approach to botulinum toxin injections to test their effect in patients with pressures higher than normal. Rather than inject the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle or the cricothyroid muscle, as is typically done, the thyroarytenoid muscle, which closes the voice box, will be injected on one side. A second one-sided injection may be given after 2 or 3 weeks if no effect is seen after the first injection. Speech will be recorded at each visit to measure any change in symptoms after the injection.

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine and compare the effects of different voice therapy programs in children with vocal fold nodules. Vocal fold nodules are non-cancerous growths on the vocal folds which cause hoarseness. The main questions this trial aims to answer are: What are the short-term effects of the new voice therapy program 'straw phonation' and a more traditional 'resonant voice therapy' program on (a) the vocal quality, (b) the size of the growths on the vocal folds, and (c) the overall functioning in children with vocal fold nodules? During straw phonation exercises, you make sound through a drinking straw. During resonant voice therapy exercises or 'humming', you make an 'm' sound as you breathe out. What are the long-term effects of these voice therapy programs? Participants will receive a short-term intensive voice therapy program of four days. The researchers will compare the straw phonation group, resonant voice therapy group and control group to see if voice therapy works well in treating children with vocal fold nodules. The researchers hypothesize that straw phonation will have better results than resonant voice therapy. Straw phonation exercises are easier for children because they use an external tool (the straw) and less self-correction is needed.

Post operative sore throat (POST) following tracheal intubation is a common problem causing dissatisfaction and discomfort to the patients. Prophylactic use of both lidocaine and dexamethasone has been used independently for this purpose. However, there is no study assessing the synergistic analgesic effects of lidocaine and dexamethasone for POST. The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of lidocaine, dexamethasone and lidocaine dexamethasone combination on the incidence and severity of POST.

Muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) is a disabling voice disorder which causes severe voice change, neck pain, and voice fatigue. Current therapy modalities to treat these disorders include multiple visits to a qualified speech language pathologist (SLP) for rehabilitation with voice exercises and focused laryngeal/neck massage. Access to these services is difficult with long waitlists and often not covered by current public health insurance or locally available to many patients in Ontario. The goal of this study is to demonstrate a reduction in symptoms and improvement in vocal function by applying an external vibration device to key sites (e.g. jaw, neck, skull base) commonly identified as a source of abnormal muscle tension and injury in certain voice disorders, specifically MTD. This study will also investigate the effect of external vibration on the voice quality in classically trained singers (CTSs). Certain desirable acoustic qualities in a singers' voice are only accessible when the larynx and its extrinsic muscles are in a relaxed state. Muscle misuse and vocal strain are common problems in performers, which can result in conditions that require surgery and speech therapy, and may lead to a loss of income. Similar to vocal warm up exercises which contribute to the prevention of vocal injury, external vibration is expected to improve muscle perfusion in an acute setting and may have a direct effect on vocal fold cover viscosity. Both study groups will be randomized to receive either the external vibration device or a sham device. The sham device looks identical to the experimental device but has the vibration component removed.

Study investigators have completed a study testing laryngopharyngeal sensation at specific laryngopharyngeal subsites using a novel buckling force aesthesiometer in a series of 22 healthy adults at this institution. Investigators would like to use the same device apparatus to evaluate laryngopharyngeal sensation in patients with laryngopharyngeal disorders, such as adductor spasmodic dysphonia. This study will use a tested laryngopharyngeal aesthesiometer to examine laryngeal sensation using calibrated tactile stimuli to determine differences in somatotopic perceptual strength maps of laryngopharyngeal structures between patients with laryngopharyngeal disorders and healthy controls.

Laryngeal Dystonia (LD), also commonly referred to as spasmodic dysphonia, is a neurological voice disorder characterized by involuntary dystonic contractions of the laryngeal muscles. Current treatments such as botox and voice therapy only provide temporary relief and thus, the investigators are exploring new strategies to provide long-term, sustained improvement. 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 standard surgical treatment for many other movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and primary dystonia. This trial has been designed to test the hypothesis that DBS can improve the vocal dysfunction of LD.

To investigate the change in fundamental frequency range and vocal fold stability achievable with vocal fold stretching exercise in human populations with high and low vocal activity