Does Nasal Surgery Affect Voice Outcomes? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analyses

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Speech Science
• Acoustic Analysis

Background:

• Nasal airflow dynamics significantly influence voice production.
• Previous research on nasal surgery's impact on voice quality lacks standardized outcome measures.
• A systematic review is needed to consolidate existing evidence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the effects of nasal surgery on voice quality.
• To identify objective and subjective voice parameters affected by nasal surgery.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published between 1997 and 2017.
• Inclusion of English-language studies with original data on nasal surgery and voice.
• Independent review and quality assessment of 19 eligible studies involving 692 patients.

Main Results:

• Significant short-term increase in nasalance (P < .01) at 1 month post-surgery, resolving by 6 months.
• No significant objective voice quality differences (fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, HNR, formants) were found.
• Most patients reported no subjective voice changes, though heterogeneity in measurements was high.

Conclusions:

• Nasal surgery may lead to transient nasalance changes, but objective voice quality is largely unaffected long-term.
• Subjective voice perception post-surgery requires additional research to clarify.
• Further studies with consistent methodologies are recommended.