Longitudinal evaluation of vocal function after thyroplasty type I in the treatment of unilateral vocal paralysis.
This study investigated longitudinal changes of vocal efficiency and stability after primary thyroplasty type 1. Fifty-three patients with unilateral vocal-fold paralysis underwent vocal-function evaluation preoperatively and at periodic intervals of 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. Vocal-function assessment included videostrobolaryngoscopic examination, acoustical and aerodynamic analysis, and perceptual judgment of voice characteristics. Parameters that included glottic-gap size, maximum phonation time, glottic-flow rate, jitter, harmonic/noise ratio, breathiness, hoarseness, loudness, and phrasing showed significant improvement after thyroplasty and remained stable as early as 1 month postoperatively, with only slight fluctuations over a 6-month period. Postoperative voice outcome was not affected by age, sex, duration of vocal symptoms, cause of paralysis, or preoperative pulmonary function.
Lu
F L
FL
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Florida 33101, USA.
Casiano
R R
RR
Lundy
D S
DS
Xue
J W
JW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005931:Glottis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013957:Thyroid Cartilage / Q000601:surgery*; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014831:Voice / Q000502:physiology*; D014833:Voice Quality