Botulinum Toxin Injections for Essential Voice Tremor

Abstract

Fifteen patients, 13 women and 2 men, with a mean age of 72.7 years (56 to 86 years) and a clinical diagnosis of essential voice tremor, were treated with botulinum injections to the thyroarytenoid muscles, and in some cases, to the cricothyroid or thyrohyoid muscles. Evaluations were based on subjective judgments by the patients, and on perceptual and acoustic analysis of voice recordings. Subjective evaluations indicated that the treatment had a beneficial effect in 67% of the patients. Perceptual evaluations showed a significant decrease in voice tremor during connected speech (p < .05). Acoustic analysis showed a nearly significant decrease in the fundamental frequency variations (p = .06) and a significant decrease in fundamental frequency during sustained vowel phonation (p < .01). The results of perceptual evaluation coincided most closely with the subjective judgments. It was concluded that the treatment was successful in 50% to 65% of the patients, depending on the method of evaluation.