NCT02711995

Essential Voice Tremor: A Study of Botulinum Toxin Treatment and Injection Augmentation

Essential Voice Tremor: An Unblinded Crossover Study of Botulinum Toxin Treatment and Injection Augmentation

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 8 (actual)
• Sponsor: Weill Medical College of Cornell University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 100 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Botulinum toxin is the common treatment of choice for patients with Essential Voice Tremor (EVT), but results are not universally beneficial to all patients. Inconsistent results are noted in the literature and are consistent with the PI's clinical experience. Injection augmentation, a well-established treatment for glottic insufficiency, which is a prominent factor in the clinical presentation of Essential Voice Tremor (EVT), has not been studied. By treating patients at separate times with botulinum toxin and injection augmentation in an unblinded prospective crossover treatment study, we can assess functional outcomes of these two treatments with the population of patients with Essential Voice Tremor (EVT).

Detailed description

The purpose of this study is to compare treatment with botulinum toxin to treatment with injection augmentation in patients diagnosed with essential voice tremor. Botulinum toxin treatment is the injection of botulinum toxin into the muscles of the vocal cords through the skin of the neck. This is identical to the injections you may have received in the past for your disorder. Injection augmentation is the injection of a filler material into the vocal cords through the skin of the neck, guided by the view from a flexible laryngoscope inserted through the nostril. The flexible laryngoscopy is identical to the procedure that the doctor has used to examine your vocal cords in the past. It is the routine diagnostic evaluation technique of voice disorders. Periodic injections with botulinum toxin (Botox) is the current standard of care for patients diagnosed with essential voice tremor, but studies show only about 60% of patients benefit substantially enough to continue treatment. Poor vocal fold closure, a common characteristic of essential voice tremor, is treated in other situations (such as vocal fold paralysis or paresis) with injection augmentation; thus there is reason to think that it may be helpful to patients with essential voice tremor, perhaps even to a greater extent than botulinum toxin.

Conditions

• Essential Tremor

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	RenuGel	Injection augmentation is the injection of a filler material (Brand: RenuGel; generic: Carboxymethylcellulose) into the vocal cords through the skin of the neck, guided by the view from a flexible laryngoscope inserted through the nostril. The flexible laryngoscopy is identical to the procedure that the doctor has used to examine your vocal cords in the past. It is the routine diagnostic evaluation technique of voice disorders.
DRUG	Botulinum Toxin	Botulinum toxin treatment is the injection of botulinum toxin into the muscles of the vocal cords through the skin of the neck. This is identical to the injections you may have received in the past for your disorder.

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-12-15
• Primary completion: 2016-09-29
• Completion: 2016-09-29
• First posted: 2016-03-17
• Last updated: 2018-02-05
• Results posted: 2018-01-10

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States