title: Comparison of treatment outcomes of transnasal vocal fold polypectomy versus microlaryngoscopic surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Office-based procedures have been proposed for the treatment of vocal polyps, including indirect laryngoscopic surgery and angiolytic laser photocoagulation. Our previous report documented good treatment outcomes by combining the two aforementioned procedures. This study was intended to further compare the treatment outcomes of office transnasal vocal fold polypectomy (VFP) with those of microlaryngoscopic surgery (MLS).
  
  
  METHODS
  A matched cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study retrospectively enrolled 50 age-, gender-, and size-matched patients with vocal polyps treated by VFP or MLS at a tertiary teaching hospital from January 2012 to October 2013. Treatment outcomes were evaluated before, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks after the procedures via perceptual rating of voice quality, acoustic measurement of the speech signal, 10-item voice-handicap index, maximal phonation time, subjective rating of voice quality, and videolaryngostroboscopic evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both VFP and MLS resulted in significant clinical improvements 2 and 6 weeks postoperatively. Study results exhibited similar objective outcomes between VFP and MLS, whereas patients who received VFP reported higher subjective voice quality than those receiving MLS 2 weeks postoperatively. Six weeks after the procedures, the objective and subjective treatment outcomes were not significantly different between the two treatment groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that transnasal VFP may be used as an effective alternative treatment for small vocal polyps. Patients who received office VFP experienced rapid symptomatic relief with a higher degree of subjective effectiveness than MLS 2 weeks postoperatively, whereas the overall treatment outcomes showed a comparable level of effectiveness for both modalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  3B.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Oriental Institute of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Te
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li-Jen
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Tsung-Wei
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wu-Chia
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Po-Wen
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007818:Laryngeal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D007828:Laryngoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D057605:Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery / Q000379:methods*; D009666:Nose; D011127:Polyps / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014827:Vocal Cords; D014833:Voice Quality
keywords: 532-nm; KTP; Photocoagulation; laser; office-based procedure