Incidence of Dysphonia and Dysphagia Exceeds Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injury During Thyroid Surgery

To determine the prevalence of separate and combined voice and swallowing impairments before and after total thyroidectomy and to delineate risk factors for these symptoms.

Retrospective review of 592 consecutive patients who underwent total thyroidectomy from July 2003 to August 2015.

Combined voice and swallowing problems occurred preoperatively in 4.7% (11/234), 3.3% (3/92), and 6.0% (16/266) of patients with malignancy, hyperthyroidism, and benign euthyroid disease, respectively. Postoperatively, prevalence was 5.1%, 2.2%, and 1.9%, respectively. Benign euthyroid disease (20.7%) had the greatest risk of preoperative dysphagia (P = 0.003) and the largest glands (P < 0.001). Comparing before and after surgery, the cancer and benign euthyroid groups had decreased dysphagia (cancer: 11.5% vs. 6.0%, P = 0.034; benign: 20.7% vs. 3.8%, P < 0.001) but increased dysphonia (cancer: 19.2% vs. 28.6%, P = 0.017; benign: 15.8% vs. 27.1%, P = 0.002). Overall, 23/592 (3.9%) developed new dysphagia and 122/592 (20.6%) developed new dysphonia after surgery. Intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve transection occurred in 12 cases (2.0%).

Total thyroidectomy resolved dysphagia but increased dysphonia in benign and malignant euthyroid patients. Voice and swallowing problems following thyroidectomy occurred more frequently than intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve transection, confirming symptoms often occur in the absence of suspected nerve injury.