J Korean Soc Laryngol Phoniatr Logoped.  2020 Jun;31(1):35-38. 10.22469/jkslp.2020.31.1.35.

A Case of Thyroarytenoid Myectomy with Selective Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Section in Intractable Spasmodic Dysphonia: A Long-Term Follow-Up

• Lee YJ
• An YY
• Park KN
• Lee SW

• KMID: 2505865
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.22469/jkslp.2020.31.1.35

Abstract

Spasmodic dysphonia is a disease presumed to be a form of focal laryngeal dystonia. The widely used first-line treatment is botulinum toxin injection to the thyroarytenoid muscles. In spite of the effectiveness and safety of this method, it has a temporary effect that lasts only several months, resulting the patients’ symptom fluctuating, called ‘Botox rollercoaster.’ Some surgical techniques had tried, but they had shown several limitations including high rate of recurrence. We tried thyroarytenoid myectomy with selective recurrent laryngeal nerve section in a patient with intractable spasmodic dysphonia. This procedure is an alternative treatment of spasmodic dysphonia to prevent recurrence and improve symptoms. During five years of follow-up, she has shown steady quality voice without any complication. To the best of our knowledgement, this is the longest follow-up case of this operation in South Korea.

Keyword

Spasmodic dysphonia; Thyroarytenoid myectomy; Botulinum toxin injection; 연축성 발성장애; 갑상피열근 절제술; 보툴리눔 독소 주입술