Vocal Rehabilitation of Paralytic Dysphonia: V. Vocal Symptomatology After Bilateral Loss of Abduction

Abstract

<h3>Dyspnea and Dysphonia</h3> It is common knowledge that the loss of phonic<i>adduction</i>of the vocal cords disturbs the voice and causes<i>dysphonia</i>, whereas the loss of respiratory<i>abduction</i>interferes with breathing and produces<i>dyspnea</i>. Such truisms serve as a general explanation but do not account for all fine details of disturbed function. When attempting a more complete definition of the various disabilities caused by laryngeal paralysis, we should remember that adductor paralysis is characterized primarily by variable degrees of dysphonia and by concomitant complaints of dyspnea. As has been shown in the preceding paper,⁵there exists an<i>inverted relationship</i>between the degrees of dysphonia and dyspnea: Dysphonia increases and dyspnea diminishes in direct proportion to the width of the glottis. Conversely, the loss of abductor function creates a severe degree of dyspnea, while the simultaneous vocal disability is of a secondary and less disturbing nature. The same observations