- Home
- Medical news & Guidelines
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiology and CTVS
- Critical Care
- Dentistry
- Dermatology
- Diabetes and Endocrinology
- ENT
- Gastroenterology
- Medicine
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Obstretics-Gynaecology
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopaedics
- Pediatrics-Neonatology
- Psychiatry
- Pulmonology
- Radiology
- Surgery
- Urology
- Laboratory Medicine
- Diet
- Nursing
- Paramedical
- Physiotherapy
- Health news
- Fact Check
- Bone Health Fact Check
- Brain Health Fact Check
- Cancer Related Fact Check
- Child Care Fact Check
- Dental and oral health fact check
- Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
- Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
- Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
- Fitness fact check
- Gut health fact check
- Heart health fact check
- Kidney health fact check
- Medical education fact check
- Men's health fact check
- Respiratory fact check
- Skin and hair care fact check
- Vaccine and Immunization fact check
- Women's health fact check
- AYUSH
- State News
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Andhra Pradesh
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Assam
- Bihar
- Chandigarh
- Chattisgarh
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli
- Daman and Diu
- Delhi
- Goa
- Gujarat
- Haryana
- Himachal Pradesh
- Jammu & Kashmir
- Jharkhand
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Ladakh
- Lakshadweep
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Manipur
- Meghalaya
- Mizoram
- Nagaland
- Odisha
- Puducherry
- Punjab
- Rajasthan
- Sikkim
- Tamil Nadu
- Telangana
- Tripura
- Uttar Pradesh
- Uttrakhand
- West Bengal
- Medical Education
- Industry
Study Reveals Significant Vocal Changes After Thyroid Surgery, Even Without Nerve Damage
Egypt: A recent multidimensional study has shed light on vocal dysfunction following thyroid surgery, revealing significant vocal changes even when the laryngeal nerve remains intact. The researchers suggest considering these changes for patients undergoing thyroid surgery, particularly total thyroidectomy due to malignant lesions.
"Increased efforts are necessary to understand the extent and underlying mechanisms of vocal alterations following thyroid surgery, aiming to reduce the morbidity linked to this widely performed procedure," they wrote in The Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology.
Following thyroid surgery, vocal changes are noted to be a common complication and recognized morbidity associated with both neuronal and non-neuronal disruptions in voice function. However, the effects of these changes on various vocal characteristics remain inadequately understood, and the underlying mechanisms are still poorly defined. To identify the diagnostic indicators related to post-thyroidectomy vocal alterations, Aya Essam Shrkawy, Phoniatric Unit and ENT Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt, and colleagues aimed to deliver a comprehensive, multidimensional assessment of vocal function following thyroid surgery.
For this purpose, the researchers conducted a one-year prospective cohort study involving 100 adult patients with an average age of 40.19 (± 12.82) years, who were recruited from the outpatient clinic of the Phoniatric Unit at Assiut University Hospital. These patients were scheduled for thyroid surgery between November 2020 and November 2021.
All participants underwent vocal assessments preoperatively and at 15 days, one month, and two months postoperatively. This included a subjective evaluation of voice complaints using the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30), auditory perceptual assessment (APA), videolaryngoscopy, and acoustic analysis through a computerized speech lab (CSL). Statistical analyses were performed to compare the various voice assessment parameters across the different time points.
The study led to the following findings:
- The voice changes were significantly decreased from 51.0% after 15 days postoperatively to 33.0% after two months of follow-up.
- Among these cases, 35.0% developed vocal fold paralysis and complained of a breathy voice (27% developed unilateral vocal fold paralysis, and 8% developed bilateral focal fold lesions). The remaining 16.0% of cases had no paralytic manifestations.
- Only one case developed gross lesions “bilateral vocal fold nodules.”
- The subjective evaluation of voice outcome after thyroidectomy showed significant improvement in VHI subscales and total score from 15 days postoperatively to 2 months of follow-up.
- There was a significant difference in all acoustic parameters except HNR across the different assessment settings.
"Our findings revealed that post-thyroidectomy, the deterioration of voice quality is a frequently observed issue. Patients and caregivers should be made aware of the specific subjective discomforts that often accompany thyroid surgery. Additionally, clinicians should inform patients that temporary voice difficulties are common after total thyroidectomy, even in the absence of laryngeal nerve damage," the researchers concluded.
Reference:
Aref, E. E., Ahmed, G. A., Ibrahim, R. A., & Shrkawy, A. E. (2024). Vocal dysfunction following thyroid surgery: A multidimensional subjective and objective study. The Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology, 40(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43163-024-00663-9
MSc. Biotechnology
Medha Baranwal joined Medical Dialogues as an Editor in 2018 for Speciality Medical Dialogues. She covers several medical specialties including Cardiac Sciences, Dentistry, Diabetes and Endo, Diagnostics, ENT, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences, and Radiology. She has completed her Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences from DU and then pursued Masters in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a working experience of 5 years in the field of medical research writing, scientific writing, content writing, and content management. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751
Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751