title: Tracking outcomes after phonosurgery for sulcus vocalis: a case report.
abstract: Outcomes data after a surgical or behavioral intervention should be tracked until stability is reached. Often it is unclear how long patients should be followed and at what point an outcome can be considered stable. These issues have implications for treatment decision making, efficacy measurement, and the design of research studies. Vocal function data were collected 24 hours before and at 1, 6, and 12 months after phonosurgery for sulcus vocalis. One data series was collected daily during the first month after surgery, providing a unique opportunity to study voice changes in the immediate postoperative period. The different vocal function indices (acoustic, perceptual, videostroboscopic, aerodynamic, psychosocial) demonstrated a general pattern of improvement after intervention; however, they appeared to reach stability at different times. This report reinforces the value of following patients until complete outcome stability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. welham@waisman.wisc.edu
authors.forename: Nathan V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Welham
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.forename: Charles N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Diane M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Bless
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006685:Hoarseness / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007828:Laryngoscopy; D008297:Male; D013517:Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D010699:Phonation / Q000502:physiology; D011312:Pressure; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014743:Videotape Recording; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*