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Thyroplasty type I: short- versus long-term results
D S Lundy1, R R Casiano, J W Xue
1Department of Otolaryngology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
Objective:
After thyroplasty type I, significant improvement has been reported in objective measures of vocal function. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the short- and long-term results in patients undergoing thyroplasty type I.
Methods:
Data on 26 patients who had undergone thyroplasty type I for management of unilateral vocal fold paralysis were compared from before surgery to the short-term (1-month) and long-term (>1-year) postoperative assessment points. Statistical analysis included paired tests to assess the significance of between-group differences.
Results:
Significant differences were found between the preoperative and both postoperative evaluations for the measures of mean glottal flow rate, maximum phonation time, jitter, shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio. However, no significant differences were found between the 1-month and >1-year assessment points.
Conclusions:
The results for the parameters studied appeared to reach maximum improvement within 1 month after surgery. It is possible that the effects of time, including the normal aging process, hormonal changes, or other alterations in general health, may require longer follow-up to better address these issues.