Special Kinds and Clinical Manifestation of Voice Disorders

The chapter reflects the main clinical manifestations of voice disorders, the wide diversity and multiple sociocultural interrelations of which contrast with a consistent systematic order of aetiological or symptomatic categories. Instead, the compilation follows prevailing purposes to provide a useful overview for application in everyday practice. Functional dysphonias, psychosomatic voice dysfunction and singing voice disorders are closely related to each other but nevertheless require individual consideration regarding special diagnostic procedures as well as therapeutic or rehabilitative consequences, including occupational perspectives. Organic manifestations comprise benign lesions of the mucosa of the vocal folds, gastro-oesophageal reflux influences, central and peripheral neurogenic disorders and laryngeal sensory neuropathy. A section on hormone-related dysphonias is followed by a survey on gender vocology focused on the demands of male-to-female as well as female-to-male adaptation of transsexuals. Voice disorders in systematic diseases and also as consequences of environmental influences and allergy complete the chapter that includes paying attention to special aspects of the voices in childhood and adolescence and the elderly population. Malign lesions are not part of this chapter.