The Changes of Voice Quality Following Laryngeal Microsurgery for Vocal Polyp and Nodule

Jin, Sung Min; Song, Yun Kyung; Lee, Kyung Chul; Kwon, Ki Hwan; Ban, Jae Ho; Kim, Tae Hyung; Kim, Sang Ho; Kang, Il Kyu

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Vocal polyps and nodules are representative chronic benign laryngeal diseases, and voice overuse, misuse, and abuse are felt by most authors to be the primary causative factors. Treatment options for vocal polyps and nodules in general include voice therapy by a speech-language pathologist and laryngeal microsurgery. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in voice quality of a group of patients diagnosed with vocal polyp or vocal nodule before and after microlaryngeal surgery. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The following patients groups were studied prior to and 2 weeks after surgery: thirty-eight males, ages 27 to 62, and twenty five females, ages 23 to 47, with vocal polyp: three males, ages 29 to 38, and twenty eight females, ages 21 to 49, with vocal nodules. Voice recordings of the first sentence of a standardized paragraph "San Chaek" were performed for acoustic analyses. The recorded samples were analyzed on the Kay CSL model 4300B using Visi-Pitch II program. For the sentence, mean speaking fundamental frequency (F0), mean jitter and mean shimmer were analyzed. RESULTS: For the polyps, male patients showed decreased mean F0 (119.28 Hz), compared to the preoperative value (125.86 Hz) (p<0.05), and female patients showed increased mean F0 (197.52 Hz), compared to the preoperative value (190.07 Hz) (p=0.06). Mean jitter and shimmer improved in both males and females 2 weeks after surgery compared to their preoperative value (p<0.01). For the nodules, male patients showed decreased mean F0 (136.24 Hz) compared to the preoperative value (138.68 Hz), and female patients showed increased mean F0 (199.98 Hz) compared to the preoperative value (192.61 Hz) (p<0.05). Mean jitter and shimmer improved in both males and females 2 weeks after the surgery compared to their preoperative value. CONCLUSION: The acoustic output generally improved after laryngeal microsurgery as evidenced by the more appropriate mean F0 and reduced level of vocal perturbation. And, mean F0 showed different changes between males and female. Further research needs to be pursued on what this changes of mean F0 mean.