title: Pediatric paradoxical vocal-fold motion: presentation and natural history.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe (1) a cohort of children with paradoxical vocal-fold motion (PVFM) who were referred to a multidisciplinary airway center and (2) the outcomes of various treatment modalities including speech therapy, gastroesophageal reflux disease treatment, and psychiatric treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a case series with chart review of children younger than 18 years with PVFM evaluated at a tertiary care pediatric airway center over a 36-month period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-nine children with PVFM were evaluated. The cohort had a mean age of 13.64 years (range: 8-18 years) and a female-to-male ratio of 3:1. Speech therapy as an initial treatment resulted in a 63% (24 of 38) success rate after an average of 3.7 treatment sessions. Speech therapy was a more successful treatment than antireflux therapy (P = .001). Ten percent (6 of 59) of the children presented with a known psychiatric diagnosis, and 30% (18 of 59) of children in the cohort were ultimately diagnosed with a psychiatric condition. Children with inspiratory stridor at rest had a lower initial success rate with speech therapy (56%), a higher rate of underlying psychiatric disorders (75%), and a high rate of success after psychiatric treatment (100%) that required, on average, 3 sessions over a 2-month period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date on pediatric PVFM. The majority of children with PVFM improve with speech therapy. Children with PVFM at rest may be better treated with psychiatric therapy than speech therapy. Furthermore, children who present with symptoms at rest may have a higher likelihood of underlying psychiatric disease.
authors: Department of Otology and Laryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Maturo
authors: Courtney
authors: C
authors: Hill
authors: Glenn
authors: G
authors: Bunting
authors: Cathy
authors: C
authors: Baliff
authors: Jyoti
authors: J
authors: Ramakrishna
authors: Christina
authors: C
authors: Scirica
authors: Shannon
authors: S
authors: Fracchia
authors: Abigail
authors: A
authors: Donovan
authors: Christopher
authors: C
authors: Hartnick
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000465:Algorithms; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007818:Laryngeal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014827:Vocal Cords