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Laryngeal Electromyography in Adults With Parkinson's Disease and Voice Complaints
Author(s) -
Zarzur Ana Paula,
Duprat André C.,
Shinzato Gilson,
Eckley Claudia A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1097/mlg.0b013e3180333145
Subject(s) - medicine , electromyography , audiology , physical medicine and rehabilitation
Objective : To study the laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) pattern in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and vocal complaints. Study Design and Setting : Twenty‐six adults with PD and vocal complaints and 26 controls with presbyphonia underwent videolaryngoscopy (VL) and LEMG. Results : No tremor was found on LEMG of the cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscles, even in cases with clinical and VL tremor. LEMG hypertonicity during voice rest was the typical feature observed in 73% of the patients with PD versus 23% of the controls. This difference was statistically significant. The severity of the disease, diagnosis, and the time of treatment did not correlate with LEMG findings. Conclusion : This is the first study reporting the use of LEMG in a large series of patients with PD and vocal complaints. Patients with PD presented spontaneous intrinsic laryngeal muscle activity during voice rest. Significance : The typical patterns in LEMG suggest this to be a valuable diagnostic tool in PD.