The Clinicopathological Study of Benign Lesions of Vocal Cords

Benign vocal lesions are non-malignant growths of abnormal tissue on the vocal cords. The common benign lesions of vocal cord are singer's nodule, polyps, papilloma, polypoidal degeneration and cysts. The aim of this study was to analyze the demographics such as age, sex, occupation, symptomatology, site of involvement. An objective evaluation of voice handicap was done pre and postoperatively using VHI-10 scale to see improvement in patient's symptoms. In this prospective study, a total of 50 cases were selected with benign lesions in regional hospital of India. The pre and post operative assessment for voice handicap was assessed by VHI-10. Chi square test (SPSS 20.0 version) used to analyze result; value of p < 0.05 was taken significant. In this study of 50 patients, the benign lesions were most common in 20-29 age group. Male (70%) outnumbered females (30%). Most common was Vocal polyp (56%), followed by nodule (32%), cyst (10%) and papilloma (2%) respectively. All patients showed improvement after phonosurgery and postoperative speech therapy, being assessed by VHI-10 scale. The benign lesions of vocal cords produces symptoms which can vary from hoarseness to stridor, affect social functioning, work performance. Speech therapy following microlaryngeal surgery forms an essential part of treatment, to avoid recurrence. VHI-10 scale as found to be a useful and convenient tool in measuring patient voice handicap and to see improvement after surgery.