Comparison of voice satisfaction in patients operated on the thyroid gland for benign diseases using various methods of nervous structures’ visualization

Abstract

Background. High-pitched voice disorder is not uncommon after thyroid surgery. These violations not only affect the work of professional voice users but can cause a decrease in the life quality of ordinary voice users. Materials and methods. The study included 70 patients who underwent thyroidectomy, hemithyroidectomy, parathyroidectomy for benign pathology of the thyroid gland and parathyroid glands, who underwent a postoperative assessment of their voice function. Voice change was assessed using a special test questionnaire Voice handicap index-30 (VHI-30). Results. When comparing the satisfaction of the voice of patients operated on for benign thyroid diseases using various methods of visualization of nerve structures using VHI-30, a significant difference in indicators was revealed in patients operated on with and without intraoperative neuromonitoring methods. Conclusions. According to the VHI-30 questionnaire, the best results are reflected in the group of patients using neuromonitoring with visualization of the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve. The growing interest in the patients’ life quality, as well as the importance of voice in social life, make questionnaires for assessing voice changes an important tool for examination.

Keywords

• external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve
• neuromonitoring
• recurrent laryngeal nerve
• external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve injury
• changed voice after thyroidectomy/hemithyroidectomy