Stridor in Parkinson's disease: a case of 'dry drowning'?
OBJECTIVE
(1) To present a rare case of stridor secondary to prolonged laryngospasm in a patient with Parkinson's disease, and (2) to review the literature on stridor in Parkinson's disease.


METHODS
We report a 73-year-old Parkinson's disease patient who developed acute stridor due to prolonged laryngospasm triggered by overspill of excessive secretions. The literature was reviewed, following a Medline search using the keywords 'Parkinson's disease' and 'stridor' or 'airway obstruction' or 'laryngospasm' or 'laryngeal dystonia' or 'bilateral vocal cord palsy'.


RESULTS
Only 12 previously reported cases of stridor in Parkinson's disease patients were identified. Causes included bilateral vocal fold palsy (eight cases), laryngospasm (five), and dystonia of the jaw and neck muscles (two). The mechanism of laryngospasm in our patient was similar to 'dry drowning', and has not previously been described.


CONCLUSIONS
Laryngospasm can be triggered in Parkinson's disease by excessive secretions entering the larynx. The mechanism is similar to 'dry drowning'. Treatment focuses on reducing secretions. The use of botulinum toxin to reduce spasm is inappropriate in this situation. This case emphasises the importance of recognising different causes of stridor in Parkinson's disease patients, as this affects management.
Gan
Eng Cern
EC
Department of Otolaryngology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore. ecgan@hotmail.com
Lau
D P
DP
Cheah
K L
KL
D000368:Aged; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D004421:Dystonia / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007826:Laryngismus / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications*; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology*; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000209:etiology