CLINICAL QUESTION 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. Study 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. Synopsis: No significant differences were found in the Voice Handicap Index questionnaire between the preoperative and postoperative points. While complaints of roughness and vocal fatigue were reported one week after surgery, complaints decreased significantly by subsequent evaluations. In the auditory perceptual evaluation, one week after surgery the overall grade of dysphonia and roughness were significantly highe
