A Survey of Current Practices of Physicians who Treat Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia in the U.S.

Abstract

We conducted a survey to determine the current practices of a subset of physicians in the United States who treat patients with adductor spasmodic dysphonia. Surveys were sent to 169 physicians listed in the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association database, and responses were returned by 43 (25.4%). Almost all respondents (95.4%) indicated that they use botulinum toxin type A injections, either alone or in combination with other treatments, to treat adductor spasmodic dysphonia, and most (69.8%) inject the toxin under electromyographic guidance. However, there were wide variations in the amount of sterile saline used to reconstitute the toxin, the size of the initial dose, and the use of other treatment strategies.