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Glossary
Note: Within a definition, words in italics are defined elsewhere in the glossary. Words beginning with * were coined or brought into the language of voice disorders by Dr. Bastian, or to our knowledge are used primarily by BVI physicians and Bastian-trained fellows. Please note that we may be adding terms to this list from time to time. Copyright © 2008 Bastian Voice Institute.
Biopsy: Refers to both
the process of removing a bit of tissue from a person so that
it can be studied and “diagnosed” by the pathologist,
and also to the piece of tissue itself. “The surgeon
biopsied (verb) the vocal
fold and then sent the biopsy (noun) to the pathologist for
examination under the microscope.”
Botox™:
The trade name of botulinum toxin,
a drug produced by the same bacterial organism (Clostridium
botulinum) that causes the disease process called botulism.
Tiny, entirely safe quantities of this medication have been
used for decades to treat strabismus, facial spasms, spasmodic
dysphonia, cervical dystonia, and other neurological
disorders characterized by abnormal muscle contractions. Botox
is also used by cosmetic surgeons to smooth wrinkles temporarily.
Botulinum toxin:
See Botox.
Bowing: A term used to
describe vocal folds that do not meet during voice-making
(phonation) in a straight, thin line, but instead create a
long ellipse due to the concave contour of the folds. Bowing
is often a sign of atrophy of the muscle within the vocal
folds, and may or may not be accompanied by the additional
finding of flaccidity.
Breathy dysphonia:
A kind of hoarseness caused by “wasting” of air
through the glottis (vocal
fold level). Also called air-wasting
dysphonia. The voice may also be described as whispery,
foggy, or fuzzy.
*Breathy-pressed phonation
or dysphonia: An easily identified dysphonia
that combines two phenomenologies – audible muscular
effort + breathy, air-wasting
quality. The classic disorder in which this is noted is severe
intubation injury.
Bronchoscopy: A procedure
during which the examiner looks inside the trachea and bronchial
tubes, typically using a slender, flexible fiberoptic- or
video-scope. At BVI, this procedure is usually performed using
topical anesthesia with or without sedation, “in the
chair” rather than in a hospital setting.
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