Factors Associated with Failure of Botulinum Toxin Injection in Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia.

Objective: Electromyography (EMG) Guided botulinum toxin (BTX) injection is considered first-line treatment for adductor spasmodic dysphonia (SD). Failure rate can range between 6% and 29%. Study objective was to determine which factors were associated with failure.

Patient Perception and Duration of Pain after Microdirect Laryngoscopy.

Objective: Postoperative pain is an important part of the patient's surgical experience. The objective was to evaluate patient perception and duration of pain after microdirect laryngoscopy (MDL).

Study Design: Case series with planned data collection.

Reflections: Starting an Otolaryngology Medical Student Interest Group.

A decline in applicants for otolaryngology residency spots has been reported. Several possible factors include the lack of exposure to otolaryngology, the lack of role models, work-life balance, and the competitiveness of otolaryngology as a deterrent. Our institution started a medical student interest group to address several of these factors.

The irritable larynx syndrome.

Muscular tension dysphonia, episodic laryngospasm, globus, and cough may be considered to be hyperfunctional laryngeal symptoms. Suggested etiological factors for these symptoms include gastroesophageal reflux, psychological problems, and/or dystonia. We propose a unifying hypothesis that involves neural plastic change to brainstem laryngeal control networks through which each of the above etiologies, plus central nervous system viral illness, can play a role.