title: Voice-related quality of life (V-RQOL) following type I thyroplasty for unilateral vocal fold paralysis.
abstract: Unilateral vocal fold paralysis is a common clinical problem which frequently causes severe dysphonia. Various treatment options exist for this condition, with the type I thyroplasty being one of the more commonly performed surgical procedures for vocal rehabilitation. The Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL) Measure is a validated outcomes instrument for voice disorders. This study measured the V-RQOL of patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis who had undergone a type I thyroplasty and compared these scores to those of patients with untreated and uncompensated unilateral vocal fold paralysis and to normals. Treated patients had significantly higher domain and overall V-RQOL scores than untreated patients, but also scored lower than normals. These differences were true across gender and age. Patients who were more distant from surgery had lower V-RQOL scores than those who had more recently been treated. It is concluded that type I thyroplasty leads to a significantly higher V-RQOL for patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis. This study also demonstrates further the utility of patient-oriented measures of treatment outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, USA. nhogikya@umich.edu
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Hogikyan
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Wodchis
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Terrell
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bradford
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Esclamado
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000601:surgery*; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000601:surgery*; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*