Treatments
The first step to treat VCD is to stop any unnecessary treatment. The use of steroids is not effective in VCD unless needed to treat underlying asthma. The drugs should be discontinued to avoid the morbidity associated with their use and to prevent severe long-term consequences, including growth retardation in children. Speech therapy (which involves teaching the patient to breathe more efficiently) is the first line of treatment for VCD and by itself is sometimes sufficient to correct the disorder.
Acute treatments can include heliox, intermittent positive pressure ventilation and continuous positive airway pressure. Severe cases may require a tracheotomy for temporary relief. Botox injections can also be made into the vocal folds.
If there is an underlying condition to which vocal cord dysfunction is secondary, it is important to treat the primary condition. This alone can help control VCD.
Read more about this topic: Vocal Cord Dysfunction