Characteristics of the Voice Handicap Index for Patients With Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis Who Underwent Arytenoid Adduction

Voice outcome in medialisation thyroplasty with and without arytenoid adduction: a prospective comparison using intraoperative voice measurements

PURPOSE

Arytenoid adduction as an addition to medialisation thyroplasty is highly advocated by some surgeons in selected cases but deemed less necessary by others in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis. This study aims to evaluate the additional benefits on voice outcome of arytenoid adduction in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis undergoing medialisation thyroplasty using intra-operative voice measurements.

DESIGN/METHODS

A prospective study was conducted. Voice audio recordings were obtained at 4 moments; 1. direct prior to the start of surgery, 2. during surgery after medialisation thyroplasty, 3. during surgery after medialisation and arytenoid adduction, 3 months postoperative. At these same timepoints patients rated their own voice on a numeric rating scale between 0 and 10. The blinded recordings were rated by consensus in a team of experienced listeners, using the Grade of the GRBAS scale. Furthermore, the Voice Handicap Index was administered before and at 3 months after surgery.

RESULTS

Ten patients who underwent medialisation and arytenoid adduction at our tertiary referral hospital between 2021 and 2022, were included. One patient was excluded after surgery. The intraoperative measurements showed a Grade score of 1.4 preoperatively, improving to 1.2 after medialisation, 1.2 after medialisation and arytenoid adduction, and further improving to 0.4 at 3 months postoperative, which was a not statistically significant improvement (p = 0.2). The intraoperative subjective numeric rating scale showed a statistically significant improvement from 3.9 preoperatively, to 6.1 after medialisation, 7.1 after medialisation and arytenoid adduction and a 7.6 at 3 months postoperative (p = 0.001). The Voice Handicap Index total score showed a statistically significant improvement from 71 points before surgery to 13 at 3 months after surgery (p = 0.008).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study using intraoperative voice measurements indicate that the addition of arytenoid adduction to medialisation thyroplasty is a benefit in selected patients although more studies are needed due to the many limitations inherent to this field of investigation.

Long-term voice evaluation after arytenoid adduction surgery in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis

PURPOSE

Laryngeal framework surgery, including medialization laryngoplasty and arytenoid adduction (AA), is expected to have a lasting or permanent effect in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP); however, there are few reports about the long-term outcomes of AA. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term postoperative effects of AA surgery and examine its stability and reliability.

METHODS

This study collected the voice handicap index (VHI) questionnaire from patients with UVFP who underwent AA more than 2 years previously. The VHI values preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively (early postoperative evaluation) were retrospectively calculated, and VHI values more than 2 years after surgery (late postoperative evaluation) were collected by mailing a sheet to the patients and asking to fill and return it. Possible influenced subscales such as age, sex, causes of UVFP, affected side, and surgeons were also analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 77 patients with UVFP who underwent AA had significantly lower early and late postoperative evaluations than preoperative evaluations. In 38 patients with no missing values, there were no significant differences between early and late postoperative evaluations, measured at a median of approximately 5 years. There were also no significant differences between early and late postoperative evaluations in any of the subscale groups.

CONCLUSION

Patients with UVFP who underwent AA surgery achieved stable voice improvement in the long term after surgery.

Impact on swallowing functions of arytenoid adduction in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis

OBJECTIVE

Although the pathophysiology of swallowing dysfunction in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) remains uncertain, glottal insufficiency is known to be a possible major cause, and other factors due to vagus nerve or recurrent laryngeal nerve damage may contribute to dysphagia or aspiration. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of arytenoid adduction (AA) surgery on the swallowing functions of UVFP patients and to investigate the important role of glottic closure during swallowing.

METHODS

We prospectively analyzed the data of thirteen patients with UVFP who underwent AA in combination with medialization laryngoplasty (ML) for improving voice quality. The subjects received a series of examinations for not only voice function but also swallowing function and cough strength both preoperatively and approximately 6 months after surgery. The evaluations of voice function included the Voice Handicap Index and aerodynamic measures; the evaluations of swallowing function included the Eating Assessment Tool-10, liquid aspiration, a videofluorographic examination of swallowing study, and high-resolution manometry; and the evaluation of cough strength included the measurement of cough peak flow. All measurements before and after surgery were statistically compared and examined.

RESULTS

Considerable improvements in voice measures were observed after the procedure, as sufficient glottic closure was achieved during phonation and swallowing. In terms of swallowing evaluation, there were significant differences in the subjective assessment methods after the operation. Additionally, our intervention improved two cases of aspiration according to abnormal findings on the videofluorographic examination of swallowing. There was a significant difference in cough peak flow, with all participants having better values after surgery. High-resolution manometry revealed no significant differences between pre- and postsurgery in any parameters at the level of the mesopharynx or upper esophageal sphincter.

CONCLUSION

The findings of our study suggest an important effect on the dysphagia of UVFP patients who undergo AA combined with ML. In addition, we revealed improvements in swallowing by strengthening incomplete glottic closure; thus, we consider that sufficient glottic closure must play an important role in swallowing function in patients with UVFP.

A Meta-Analysis of the Association Between the Voice Handicap Index and Objective Voice Analysis

Purpose Dysphonia can be evaluated by both patient-reported quality of life instruments and objective acoustic and aerodynamic analyses. However, less is known about the association between the two metrics. The goal of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of the correlation of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30) with the following objective parameters: fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, harmonics to noise ratio, noise to harmonic ratio, maximum phonation time, and the Dysphonia Severity Index. Method A literature search was performed in the PubMed, Scopus, and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases. Inclusion criteria were subjects age 18 years and older with voice complaints and assessed by both VHI-30 and objective voice analysis. Results A literature search resulted in 1,297 unique articles, of which 310 underwent full-text review and 17 studies were included in quantitative analysis. Significant pooled correlation was observed for VHI-30 total with jitter (.301 [.177; .416]), shimmer (.255 [.162; .344]), noise to harmonic ratio (.200 [.111; .285]), maximum phonation time (-.227 [-.352; -.094]), and Dysphonia Severity Index (-.254[-.455; -.0286]). Significant correlations were observed in 4/7 objective parameters with the Physical subscale, 3/7 with the Functional subscale, and 2/7 with the Emotional subscale. All significant correlations were negligible (0-.3) or low (.3-.5). Conclusions Results from meta-analysis showed that correlations between objective voice parameters and the VHI-30 were negligible or low. Further study is needed to determine if correlations vary by patient demographics or specific pathology.

Granular Cell Tumors of the Larynx: A Clinicopathologic Study of Five Patients

Granular cell tumors (GCT) are uncommon neoplasms that may involve the larynx. Patients affected with a laryngeal GCT usually complain of dysphonia. When they involve the larynx, these tumors have predilection for the posterior half of the vocal cords. Between 2006 and 2018, we have experienced five cases of GCT involving the right true vocal cord. They were diagnosed and successfully treated with microsurgical resection. Here we present this 5-case series and a retrospective review of literature.