A Study of Effect of Microlaryngeal Surgery on Voice Analysis and Voice Handicap Index in Benign Vocal Fold Lesions
摘要
Human voice is unique because of various parameters including, anatomical, physiological, psychological, cultural, sociolinguistic and behavioural factors. Additionally, a wide range of information can be conveyed by the speaker’s gender, age, personality, emotional status and physical health by their voice quality, loudness, range and the pitch patterning (Intonation). Perceptual evaluation of the voice is the process to assess the characteristics of the voice and grading the severity of specific abnormal features such as hoarseness, roughness and breathiness. The present study was carried out in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, in patients presenting with clinical evidence of hoarseness in voice who were evaluated with video laryngoscopy, stroboscopy and subjective scores like VHI, from December 2022 to December 2023. They eventually underwent Micro Laryngeal Surgery and were again followed at an interval of 2 weeks, 1 month and 3 months post operatively. The study evaluated the effects of surgery on vocal fold function using stroboscopy. Amplitude was reduced in all patients initially, but after surgery, 85% showed improvement by 3 months. Phase symmetry, which reflects coordinated movement of the vocal folds, was abnormal in all patients before surgery, but 92.5% had corrected symmetry by the end of the study. Maximum Phonation Time (MPT) improved, with 72.5% of patients sustaining sounds for over 20 seconds after 3 months. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI), which measures voice-related quality of life, showed significant improvement, decreasing from 60.325 pre-op to 13.5 at 3 months. Microlaryngeal surgery has proven effective in treating benign vocal fold lesions, with improvements seen in both objective voice analysis and patient-reported outcomes, such as the Voice Handicap Index (VHI).