Dysarthria of Spinal Cord Injury and Its Management

Deanna Britton; Jeannette D. Hoit; Joshua O. Benditt

doi:10.1055/s-0037-1602835

Seminars in Speech and Language, Table of Contents

Semin Speech Lang 2017; 38(03): 161-172
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1602835

Review Article

Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Dysarthria of Spinal Cord Injury and Its Management

Deanna Britton

¹Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Portland State University (PSU), Portland, Oregon

²Northwest Center for Voice and Swallowing, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, Oregon

,

Jeannette D. Hoit

³Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona (UA), Tucson, Arizona

,

Joshua O. Benditt

⁴Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC), Seattle, Washington

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

The dysarthria associated with spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by speech impairments that reflect respiratory dysfunction and its downstream effects on phonation, articulation, and prosody. The exact nature of the dysarthria is determined in large part by the level of SCI and whether or not diaphragm function is spared. Individuals with insufficient diaphragm strength to breathe on their own must rely on ventilator support, which may help or hinder speech, depending on a variety of ventilator-related variables. This article provides a conceptual review of the underlying pathophysiology and effects of respiratory muscle weakness on speech produced with and without mechanical ventilation. Selected multidisciplinary interventions for the dysarthria of SCI are also reviewed.

Keywords

Spinal cord injury (SCI) - nontraumatic spinal cord injury (NTSCI) - dysarthria - respiration - speech - mechanical ventilation

Full Text

References

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