Assessment of Laryngopharyngeal Sensation in Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Official Title
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Assessment of Laryngopharyngeal Sensation in Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia

Conditions
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Spasmodic Dysphonia, Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia, Voice Disorders

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: Sensation testing


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Adductor spasmodic dysphonia (can have co-diagnosis of essential tremor) received Botox injection more than 2 weeks ago Exclusion Criteria: excessive gagging active smoker non-Botox responsive abductor spasmodic dysphonia exclusively essential tremor diagnosis exclusively

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 85 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Cottonoid pledgets soaked in 4% lidocaine and neo-synephrine will be placed on this side. The pledgets will be kept in place for 5 minutes to allow adequate decongestion and anesthetization. The aesthesiometer will be placed through the 2.0 mm working channel of the Olympus Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) ENF-VT2 channeled flexible video rhinolaryngoscope with a 4.9 mm outer diameter. The flexible laryngoscope and aesthesiometer assembly will then be advanced into the pharynx and positioned for target testing. The operator field of view will be adjusted in the craniocaudal axis to optimize visualization of the stimulation target, monofilament tip, and both vocal folds to assess for a stimulation evoked LAR response. The monofilament will then be advanced to within several mm of the target laryngopharyngeal subsite and subsequently applied orthogonally until it buckled by 10-30%, followed by quick retraction to assess for triggering of the rapid LAR response.
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Spasmodic Dysphonia Patients<br> | Device: Sensation testing<br>* Sensation testing tactile aesthesiometer.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Perceptual strength of sensation on a 1-10 numerical rating scale (NRS) | The outcome measure is the difference in perceptual strength rating between patients with laryngopharyngeal disorders and healthy controls. Patients will report the amount of sensation felt on a verbal scale from 1-10. This is done in relation to sensation in the nasopharynx described as a 1. | Immediately after intervention | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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throat sensation