Elliot, a 69-year-old man, presented with a 5-year history o…

Elliot, a 69-year-old man, presented with a 5-year history of difficulty getting in and out of chairs, stiffness during walking, and difficulty turning in bed. He also had voice and handwriting difficulty. No history of encephalitis, toxic exposure, or drug use was noted that might be related to his symptoms, nor was there any family history of neurodegenerative disorders.   On neurologic exam, his arm-swing was diminished and his neck and extremities were rigid. He had a mild static/rest tremor of the left hand, and upper limb movements were bradykinetic. Facial expression was masked and postural reflexes were mildly impaired. An MRI scan was normal. He was referred for a speech-language pathology consult “to see if there are any clues in his voice to the type of problem that he has.”   During speech evaluation, the patient described a one-year history of uncertainty “if words would come out.” He believed his speech had become quieter and perhaps slower, and that this was more obvious in the evening or after extended speaking. He reported occasional difficulty “getting going” with his speech even though he knew what he wished to say. The SLP diagnosed “hypokinetic dysarthria, mild-moderate severity.”

A 38-year-old music salesman presented to the clinic with pa…

A 38-year-old music salesman presented to the clinic with pain in the the laryngeal area following a bout of bronchitis and extensive coughing and throat clearing. He reported occasionally coughing up small amounts of blood. He said he lifts weights but reported the healthy strategy of exhaling while flexing. He does not smoke and he reports minimal water intake. Vocal quality was normal in pitch and quality. He coughed and throat-cleared throughout the assessment. The salesman was overheard chastising an employee on his cell phone using hard glottal attack. He said he was recently prescribed anti-reflux medication by his physician. The patient’s F0 for a sustained /a/ revealed 161Hz with a RAP of .236% and shimmer of 1.56%. Transglottal airflow was 138ml/s.