Clinical evaluation of functional dysphonia

Abstract

Functional dysphonia is a voice impairment without any organic lesion of the phonating system. It may be classified into two categories: functional dysphonia itself where no lesions are found and functional laryngopathies where vocal cord lesions may be attributed to vocal abuse or misuse. The clinical evaluation of a dysphonic patient is performed in three steps: history taking, vocal evaluation, and examination. History taking helps the diagnosis and may be considered also as a therapeutic procedure. Vocal evaluation is oriented toward the voice itself and how it is produced. Then an ENT examination is performed with special attention to the larynx. In functional dysphonia, usually, everything looks normal but there may be signs of inflammation, hyperkinetism, hypokinetism, excessive laryngeal movements, etc. Functional laryngopathies include vocal nodules, laryngitis, polyps, and contact ulcer.