Thyroplasty type I: short- versus long-term results.
OBJECTIVE
After thyroplasty type I, significant improvement has been reported in objective measures of vocal function. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the short- and long-term results in patients undergoing thyroplasty type I.


METHODS
Data on 26 patients who had undergone thyroplasty type I for management of unilateral vocal fold paralysis were compared from before surgery to the short-term (1-month) and long-term (>1-year) postoperative assessment points. Statistical analysis included paired tests to assess the significance of between-group differences.


RESULTS
Significant differences were found between the preoperative and both postoperative evaluations for the measures of mean glottal flow rate, maximum phonation time, jitter, shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio. However, no significant differences were found between the 1-month and >1-year assessment points.


CONCLUSIONS
The results for the parameters studied appeared to reach maximum improvement within 1 month after surgery. It is possible that the effects of time, including the normal aging process, hormonal changes, or other alterations in general health, may require longer follow-up to better address these issues.
Lundy
D S
DS
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
Casiano
R R
RR
Xue
J W
JW
Lu
F L
FL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D010699:Phonation; D013957:Thyroid Cartilage / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000601:surgery*; D014831:Voice