Velo‐pharyngo‐laryngeal myoclonus, the rapid, rhythmic contraction of muscles of the pharynx and larynx, is a rare neurological manifestation of numerous disease processes affecting the cerebellum.
In its most common form, palatal myoclonus, this disease frequently presents to the otolaryngologist as objective tinnitus. Impedance audiometry provides a useful means of verifying suspected palatal myoclonic activity through recorded changes in the middle ear pressure, as mediated by muscle activity at the proximal portion of the eustachian tube.
A very rare case of velo‐pharyngo‐laryngeal myoclonic with clonic contraction of the laryngeal adductors and subsequent extrathoracic airway obstruction is presented. Tracheostomy provided immediate symptomatic relief of dyspnea.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.