title: Voice rest after vocal fold surgery: current practice and evidence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Voice rest is commonly recommended after vocal fold surgery, but there is a lack of evidence base and no standard protocol. The aim of this study was to establish common practice regarding voice rest following vocal fold surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  An online survey was circulated via e-mail invitation to members of the ENT UK Expert Panel between October and November 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The survey revealed that 86.5 per cent of respondents agreed that 'complete voice rest' means no sound production at all, but there was variability in how 'relative voice rest' was defined. There was no dominant type of voice rest routinely recommended after surgery for laryngeal papillomatosis or intermediate pathologies. There was considerable variability in the duration of voice rest recommended, with no statistically significant, most popular response (except for malignant lesions). Surgeons with less than 10 years of experience were more likely to recommend fewer days of voice rest.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a lack of consistency in advice given to patients after vocal fold surgery, in terms of both type and length of voice rest. This may arise from an absence of robust evidence on which to base practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Southmead Hospital, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, UK. coombs.alice@googlemail.com
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Coombs
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Carswell
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Tierney
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D007828:Laryngoscopy; D010212:Papilloma / Q000601:surgery; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012660:Semantics; D013997:Time Factors; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery; D014833:Voice Quality