Aphonia Laryngeal

Laryngeal aphonia is a complete absence of voice. At the same time, breathing and articulation are preserved, and the muscles of the larynx are not mechanically damaged. Autophony is the perception by a sick person of his own speech sounding in his head like someone else’s. A. causes the development of a pathological anticipatory mechanism, in which the reverse afferentation of sound impulses in the central nervous system is disrupted.

Aphonia is most often acute and is associated with hysterical neurosis, which is combined with dissociation of certain functions of the psyche and somatopsyche. The voice disappears suddenly; patients are speechless due to fear, conflict, or due to any unrest.

Less commonly, aphonia is protracted or chronic in nature, appearing as a result of certain organic lesions of brain structures due to tumors, syphilis, as well as due to infectious or toxic damage to cells of the nervous system. Prolonged aphonia often occurs as a result of general meningitis, meningoencephalitis or brain injury. The disorder may be acquired as a result of paralysis of the vagus nerve with paresis or atrophy of the glottis or due to mechanical obstruction of the airways. The voice-forming function of the vocal cords is impaired due to paresis of individual muscles of the laryngeal or pharyngeal origin.