With no laryngeal nerve injury, do vocal characteristics change after thyroidectomy?
Background: Vocal dysfunction is a feared complication of thyroidectomy. While operative injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve is a primary cause of voice alterations, changes have also been noted in the absence of this injury.
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February 2010Study design: Prospective study of patients one week prior and one week, six weeks and three months after surgery
Setting: Subjective (auditory perceptual evaluation and videolaryngostroboscopy) and objective (aerodynamic, vocal range, acoustic and Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI)) assessments were utilized with 44 thyroidectomy patients in Belgium.