Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a voice disorder characterized by a strained-strangled voice, with sound breaks and has implications in one's communication. The purpose of this study is to present a bibliographic review of the speech therapy and medical treatment suggested for SD from 2006 to 2010. The speech therapy and medical treatments described are: botulinum toxin injection, myectomy, neurectomy, denervation and reinnervation selective laryngeal adductor, thyroplasty, radiofrequency thyroarytenoid myothermy, injection of lidocaine, homeopathy and speech therapy. The use of botulinum toxin injection showed results that indicated the satisfaction of the patients who were treated, although some of the articles presented the frequent need of reapplication of the toxin as a disadvantage. The surgical procedures were considered long-lasting and indicated to patients who didn't want to get botulinum toxin injections. The studies, however, presented a restricted contingency of patients, and the outcomes in many studies were based in the patient's own judgment on his/her voice quality. The treatments using lidocaine and homeopathy had positive results in relation to the voice quality of the patients and were suggested as an option for those who wouldn't like to undergo surgical treatment or have botulinum toxin injection. The few studies which discourse on voice therapy presented good results in association with botulinum toxin injection, showing the shortage of information in this field. A study on the literature review pointed out the need of developing researches to help us understand the neurological functioning in spasmodic dysphonia. Future study involving speech therapy in the treatment of ED is still necessary.
Dysphonia; Spastic Dysphonia; Dystonia
