Voice Outcome After Transoral Laser Surgery for Benign Lesions of Vocal Fold(s)
摘要
Voice is an auditory perception that encompasses various specifications including loudness, pitch, variability, and quality. Normal voice is a skilled function of the larynx. It is performed in a coordinated and efficient manner. Benign lesions of the vocal fold(s) cause imbalance in this system. This leads to varying degrees of dysphonia. These lesions are mainly located in the superficial part of the vocal fold(s). They are amenable to surgery without hampering the voice quality. To evaluate voice outcome after transoral laser surgery for lesions of the vocal fold(s) that were proven benign on histopathological examination postoperatively. This study was an original research conducted as a prospective observational study without a control group. A total of 36 patients, with a mean age of 43.97 years, were enrolled in the study. In each patient, the voice was analyzed using the GRBAS score, voice handicap index, and acoustic analysis. The parameters analyzed in acoustic analysis were jitter (in %), shimmer (in %), fundamental frequency (F0) (in Hz), and harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR) (in dB). Voice analysis was done prior to, 2 weeks ± 3 days after, and 6 weeks ± 7 days after transoral laser surgery using a CO2 laser. In a comparison between preoperative and postoperative states, there was a statistically significant difference in GRBAS, Voice Handicap Index, and acoustic analysis (jitter, shimmer, fundamental frequency (F0), and harmonics-to-noise ratio of voice with a p value < 0.05 after transoral laser surgery. This study gives a very good idea of how the study patients responded to the transoral laser microlaryngeal surgery for benign lesions of the vocal fold(s). For the evaluation of voice, a single modality will not be sufficient, but multiple modalities are needed for better evaluation of voice, like perceptual scoring, quality of life scoring, and objective measurement. This multidimensional approach is good for assessment of voice.