Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41622269›Full record

ArticleEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2026

Assessing the effects of botulinum toxin therapy for spasmodic dysphonia: An Austria-Germany registry.

Berit Schneider-Stickler, Gerd Fabian Volk, Oliver Galvan, Annabella Kurz, Matthias Leonhard, Tadeus Nawka

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Berit Schneider-SticklerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Division of Phoniatrics-Logopedics, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090, Vienna, Austria. berit.schneider@meduniwien.ac.at.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9978-6474
Gerd Fabian VolkDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Facial-Nerve-Center, Center for Rare Diseases, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Oliver GalvanUniversity Hospital for Hearing, Voice and Speech Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Annabella KurzDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Division of Phoniatrics-Logopedics, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090, Vienna, Austria.
Matthias LeonhardDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Division of Phoniatrics-Logopedics, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090, Vienna, Austria.
Tadeus NawkaDepartment of Audiology and Phoniatrics, Charité - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveInjection of Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is regarded as standard treatment for spasmodic dysphonia (SD), reducing the overactivity of the affected muscles. Due to the lack of standardized outcome parameters for diagnosing SD or assessing its treatment over time, the evaluation of systematic clinical evidence on the effects of BoNT therapy on SD symptom control is difficult. The registry presented in this article aimed to evaluate outcomes after BoNT treatment in SD patients in Austria and Germany, based on selected subjective and objective voice parameters.

methods41 patients with SD were included in this multicentric registry, after drop-out of 2 patients the results of 39/41 (95.1%) patients could be analyzed per protocol. Demographic and treatment characteristics as well as the occurrence of therapy-related side effects were recorded. Perceptual voice sound evaluation (RBH scale), voice range profile measurements (VRP), number of spasms, and severity of voice strain were assessed. Patients were asked to complete the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-9i), the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB), and indicate their perceived phonation effort on a VAS scale. The parameters were compared between baseline and 1-month post-BoNT treatment.

resultsThe patients received all BoNT type A (Xeomin

conclusionThe results of this registry showed that BoNT injection, the current off-label treatment of SD symptoms, failed to restore normal voice quality. This registry's outcomes also indicate that the choice of the applied BoNT brand is site-specific and does not appear to be associated with differences in efficacy. We also showed that the effects of the BoNT on the SD symptoms are best described by semi-quantitative outcome measures such as spasm counts and voice strain, and by patients-reported outcome measures (PROMs), such as CPIB and VHI-9i than by more objective parameters such as frequency and dynamic range of the singing voice.

Indexed as

Botulinum Toxins, Type ADysphoniaNeuromuscular AgentsRegistriesAdultAgedAustriaFemaleGermanyHumansMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeVoice QualityBotulinum Toxins, Type ANeuromuscular AgentsChemodenervationDysphoniaLaryngeal dystoniaSpasm countVoice strain

Identifiers

PMID41622269
PMCPMC13002733

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.