The Mayo Clinic Arizona Spasmodic Dysphonia Experience: A Demographic Analysis of 718 Patients. (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Patel, Alpen B.; Bansberg, Stephen F.; Adler, Charles H.; Lott, David G.; Crujido, Lisa
• Is Part Of: Annals of otology, rhinology & laryngology. Volume 124:Number 11(2015:Nov.)
• Page Start: 859
• Page End: 863
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: spasmodic dysphonia -- dystonia -- dysphonia -- voice -- botulinum toxin; Otolaryngology -- Periodicals; 617.51
• DOI: 10.1177/0003489415588557
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-4894

Abstract

Objective: Analyze demographic data collected over a 25-year experience of 718 patients with spasmodic dysphonia (SD) who have been treated with botulinum toxin-A (BoNT-A) and compare our data with previously published studies. Methods: Seven hundred eighteen patients with SD were treated with 6621 BoNT-A injections at Mayo Clinic Arizona between 1989 and 2014. All patients were treated by the same physician team. Background demographic data for each patient were recorded. Results: Of 718 patients, 557 patients were female (77.6%). Six hundred sixty of 718 (91.8%) patients had adductor SD (AdSD), and 58 of 718 (8.1%) patients had abductor SD (AbSD). Average age of onset was 51 years. Of 718 patients, 378 (52.6%) had vocal tremor (VT); VT was present in 54.4% of AdSD patients and 32.1% of AbSD patients. Thirty-seven of 718 (5.2%) patients had other dystonias, including cervical dystonia (2.3%), blepharospasm (1.4%), limb dystonia (1.1%), and oromandibular dystonia (0.3%). A positive family history of SD was present in only 6 of 718 patients (0.8%) and of other dystonias in 11 of 718 patients (1.5%). Conclusions: Spasmodic dysphonia is a chronic and potentially disabling focal laryngeal dystonia. The Mayo Clinic Arizona SD experience compares to prior reports and reveals a female preponderance, onset in middle age, infrequent hereditary pattern, high co-occurrence of VT, and low co-occurrence of other dystonias.