Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2000 Sep;43(9):985-991.

Voice Comparison between Strap Muscle Retraction and Cutting Technique in Thyroidectomy

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Inha University, Inchon, Korea. DrMiso2@hananet.net
  • 2Voice Dynamic Laboratory, College of Medicine, Inha University, Inchon, Korea.
  • 3Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Inchon Christian Hospital, Inchon, Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A voice analysis was carried out before and after thyroid surgeries without laryngeal nerve injury, between strap muscle retraction and cutting group in thyroid surgery. The study was done by means of questionaires, acoustics and aerodynamic analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of fourty-two patients of whom thirty-eight are females and four are males were analyzed; hemithyroidectomy (19 cases) and total thyroidectomy (23 cases). Twenty-seven patients had undergone thyroidectomy via retraction of strap muscle and 15 patients had undergone thyroidectomy via cutting of strap muscle. For evaluation of voice, questionaires for changes of voice, acoustics (fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, noise to harmonic ratio, voice intensity, vocal range), and aerodynamic (maximal phonation time, mean flow rate and subglottal pressure) analyses were done. RESULTS: The subjective voice symptoms after thyroidectomy were disturbances of high pitch, loud voice and singing voice, and easy fatigue at phonation. These voice symptoms were related to the extent of surgery. Vocal range was the only diminished parameter in acoustic and aerodynamic analyses after thyroidectomy. There were significant differences in jitter on acoustic and aerodynamic analyses between the strap muscle retraction group and the cutting group. CONCLUSION:Voice alteration after thyroidectomy without laryngeal nerve injury may be associated with the disturbance of the extralaryngeal skeleton- laryngotracheal fixation with impairment of vertical movement or by temporal malfunction of the strap muscles. These voice problems were related to the extent of surgery and cutting of strap muscles.

Keyword

Thyroidectomy; Strap muscle; Voice analysis

MeSH Terms

Acoustics
Fatigue
Female
Humans
Laryngeal Nerve Injuries
Male
Muscles
Noise
Phonation
Singing
Thyroid Gland
Thyroidectomy*
Voice*
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