Spasmodic dysphonia

INTRODUCTION Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is considered a focal laryngeal dystonia in which a patient experiences excessive laryngeal muscular contractions during speech. The most common form, adductor SD, produces a strained and strangled speaking pattern. Abductor SD is less common, and results in a breathy or whispering speaking pattern. Although the task specificity for focal laryngeal dystonia has been observed mostly for speech, there is a low incidence of adductor breathing dystonia that may produce inspiratory stridor, and singing dystonia. The etiology of laryngeal dystonia falls into the same categories as forms affecting other areas of the body. Druginduced glottic dystonic reactions have been described causing acute upper airway obstruction necessitating intubation (1-3).